When Life Gives You Cherry Blossoms
by ThePinkUchiha
Summary: When the hard working Haruno Sakura finally scores a rare scholarship to the prestigious Konoha Academy she needs a place to stay for the semester. That's when her father decides to send her to live with an old friend - the Uchiha's. How will Sasuke react when fate decides to throw Sakura into his life? SasuSaku AU
1. Chapter 1 - Arrival

**Author's Note:**

Please be kind guys! I'm a long time reader but a first time publisher, I had this plot in my head for a while so i thought 'Hey why not?'  
Also, apologies in advance if formatting looks weird, still getting used to navigating the story publisher :(

Disclaimer:

I don't own anything, characters belong to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 1- Arrival**

"Sasuke honey, she's almost here will you please make sure you look presentable when she arrives?" Mikoto called out from the foyer of the Uchiha manor.

Sasuke let out a brief grunt to let his mother know he heard her. He made his way past her and up the stairs to change into something his mother would consider 'presentable'. Ever since his father's old friend had given him a call a few weeks ago, both Sasuke's parents had been working overtime to ensure their house was in perfect condition to accommodate for the arrival of their guest. Sasuke didn't understand why, it wasn't as if the maids didn't keep everything in orderly fashion all the time anyway.

* * *

According to his father, an old friend had reached out to him a few weeks back. From what Sasuke understood, the Haruno's had been neighbours to the Uchiha's years ago before his father, Fugaku, started his own company, made it big, and moved their whole family to a larger house at a wealthier part of town. He couldn't remember much of the Haruno family as he was only little when they had moved, he only had the faintest memory of a little pink haired girl who would come over to play with him. Now, their old neighbour, Haruno Kizashi, was sending his daughter to live with the Uchiha's for a semester.

Sakura gazed out of the window as she sat in the back of her town car. The Uchiha's were kind enough to book a chauffeur to pick her up. 'Just how rich were these people?' she wondered to herself. As the houses on the side of the road continued to grow in size as they drove past, Sakura came to the conclusion that they must be _very_ rich.

Sakura wasn't smug or arrogant by any means, she had grown up in a rather normal family with a mum and dad. She was the only child but wasn't spoilt much and didn't have many talents. But she was intelligent. The young girl took pride in being one of the top students in her class, she had been overjoyed when she managed to score one of the few rare scholarships offered by the infamous Konoha Academy. The only problem was, Konoha Academy was located in the centre of Fire Country where all the wealthiest and most financially successful families lived and the Haruno's lived almost four hours away. That was when her father decided to reach out to an old friend and send Sakura to live with the Uchiha's for a semester.

Finally, the driver pulled up to a huge metal gate and waited a few seconds for the doors to open before proceeding down a long driveway. The driveway was lined with beautiful palm trees on either side and Sakura felt her jaw drop when the mansion finally came into view. It was huge. Bigger than any of the houses they drove past on their way here. A beautiful three story mansion built with white cobble stones and an elegant grey tiled roof stood before her. In the centre of the driveway a fountain trickled and gleamed in the sunlight. Sakura stared at the house in awe, the sheer size of the manor must have been at least 8 times larger than her parents' place.

She was snapped out of her daze when the double doors opened and Fugaku walked out with his family in tow. They just screamed elegance, Fugaku looked like a proper patriarch in suit and tie, his beautiful wife Mikoto standing next to him dressed just as elegantly. Behind them were two boys, she vaguely remembered playing with them when she was younger, Itachi and Sasuke.  
"Welcome Sakura," Mikoto enveloped her in a hug, "please make yourself feel at home while you're here."

After introductions and welcomes were exchanged, Mikoto lead Sakura into the manor. The inside was just as impressive as the exterior. The foyer was wide and spacious with a tall ceiling and a chandelier hanging in the middle. Two stair cases adorned either side of the foyer, curving upwards until they met each other at the second floor.  
"Our butler will take your bags to your room, Sasuke, Itachi, will one of you give our guest a tour of the house? I'm sorry I can't stick around Sakura, but Fugaku and I have an important meeting with a client," Mikoto apologized. And with that, Sakura was left standing alone in the Foyer with the Uchiha brothers.

* * *

Sasuke silently observed the girl in front of him. She was short, petite, with long flowing pastel pink hair and the brightest green eyes he'd ever seen. He'd never seen that combination of hair and eye colour before, after all, his whole family had the darkest shade of black hair and black eyes you could imagine. She was too colourful he decided, and when he finally made eye contact with her, she blushed, making herself even pinker if that was possible.  
'Great another fangirl,' Sasuke inwardly rolled his eyes.  
Before Itachi could even protest, Sasuke had walked off. 'Nii-san can deal with her' he thought bitterly. Like hell was he going to babysit this girl all semester. Just because they were the same age and would be attending the same school Fugaku had expected him to look after her.  
"Sasuke, her father and I are very close" his father had said in a no nonsense tone, "I expect you to look after her and help her integrate into the new environment seamlessly. The kids at Konoha Academy come from rich, privileged backgrounds, and many can be quick to judge."  
Sasuke had scoffed at this, but hearing the strictness in his father's voice, he knew this was a command and not a request. Even so, it was his final year before graduation and he was not prepared to have a pink haired leech stuck to his side all semester. For all he knew, she would probably end up like one of those annoying fangirls at school, the only difference is, he would have to put up with her at home too.

* * *

Sakura was absolutely at a loss for words after the tour of the manor. She had no idea some people were rich enough to have a cinema room, library, private gym, indoors and outdoors swimming pools, _and_ a tennis court all under one roof.  
"This is your room," Itachi motioned towards the door, "my room is down the hall if you need anything and Sasuke's room is across from yours."  
"Thank you Itachi-san," Sakura nodded and headed into her room to get settled in, it would be her first day at the Academy tomorrow and she intended to get a good night's rest in order to be alert on her first day.

The pinkette woke up before her alarm clock the next morning, excited to finally attend the most prestigious school in town that she had heard so much about. Swiftly pulling on the school uniform Sakura did a quick twirl in front of the mirror to check how the uniform looked on her. She decided she looked good in the white blouse and black skirt, the Leaf Village insignia sat proudly on the right pocket of her top. Practically skipping down the stairs to the kitchen she blushed when both Uchiha brothers stared at her as she joined them at the dinner table.  
"Sasuke also attends Konoha Academy so he will be driving you to and from school," Fugaku spoke without looking up from his newspaper. "On days when he has soccer practice in the mornings, Itachi will drive you."  
Noticing Sakura's confused expression, Mikoto continued, "Itachi attends Konoha Private College next door to the Academy, he's studying Corporate Law and Business Relations in order to take over Fugaku's law firm when he's older". She was practically beaming at her oldest son as she said this.  
Sakura couldn't help but giggle at Sasuke's scowl, was he jealous of his older brother?  
"What?" Sasuke spat almost venomously at her, his glare was enough to shut Sakura up immediately. Standing up and grabbing his car keys he added "Hurry up, unless you want to walk to school."

Sakura was confused, where did the kind little boy who used to come over to her place to play with her go? She didn't remember Sasuke always being so cold and detached.  
"So, how's Konoha Academy? Do you like it?" She tried to break the awkward silence in the car.  
"Hn."  
"Well, my class schedule says I have History first period, what about you?"  
Sasuke let out a sigh, he wasn't usually one for conversations but he had a feeling she wouldn't stop unless he said something, "Look, just because we go to the same school doesn't mean we're friends."  
"I…I was just trying to make conversation…"  
"You're annoying."  
Sakura looked out the passenger window and hoped he wouldn't notice the tears that were threatening to form, she had no idea what she did to make him hate her so much, this was going to be a long semester.

 **Author's Note:**  
If you're still here, thanks for reading to the end of the chapter! :)

I have most of the story already written up on my laptop, but I was contemplating whether or not to upload it for the longest time because I wasn't sure if anyone else would enjoy it apart from me haha

I just have to write the ending and epilogue so if you enjoyed please leave a review it would boost my confidence a lot and I'll keep uploading the rest of my chapters that I have written :)


	2. Chapter 2 - New 'Friends'

**Discalimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei

 **Chapter 2- New 'Friends'**

The rest of the car ride with Sasuke was a long and awkward one. Neither of them spoke after his comment. Sakura couldn't have been more relieved when they finally pulled up at the K.A parking lot. As she stepped out of Sasuke's sleek black BMW, she had to take a moment to take in the beauty of the school. The building was five stories high with a massive courtyard and beautiful gardens surrounding the structure, the stone walls made it look ancient yet elegant. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she noticed everyone around her whispering and pointing at her. Shrugging her shoulders and running after Sasuke into the building the pinkette didn't think too much about it; after all she drew attention wherever she went because of her unusual hair colour.

She followed her map towards her designated class room, and taking a deep breath, she walked in. Everyone was already seated and staring at her.  
"Hey that's the girl who stepped out of Sasuke-kun's car" she heard one girl whisper.  
"Really? What's so special about her?"  
"I didn't think she would be his type."  
The whispers were cut short when the teacher spoke up, "Sakura, welcome. I'm Kakashi, your History teacher for the year. Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?".  
"Oh…Um Ohayo, my names Haruno Sakura, I'll be attending Konoha Academy for the semester." she offered.  
"Sakura-chan! Is that your natural hair colour?" She stared in bewilderment at the boy who yelled out the question, she'd never met him before, and yet this blonde hair blue eyed boy was smiling at her as if they had known each other forever. If everyone was as friendly as him this semester would be a breeze, she thought.  
"Um…yeah I guess it is," she giggled.

The first half of the day flew by pretty quickly, Sakura was still attracting stares and whispers as she walked through the hallway, but she attributed that to her being a new student. When the bell rang for lunch, Sakura made her way to the cafeteria and picked up a tray of food. The cafeteria looked pretty crowded so she made her way into the courtyard. Everywhere she looked, students were pointing and her, some staring, others glaring. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious. Scanning around for a place to sit, she finally spotted Sasuke at a table with a few students. The blonde boy who has asked about her hair colour earlier was seated next to him, he waved enthusiastically when he spotted Sakura looking their way. Nervously she decided to go sit with them, but the scowl on Sasuke's face when he saw her approaching was enough to send her running in the opposite direction. And then she remembered his words from earlier today 'you're annoying'.

Feeling dejected and lonely, Sakura ended up eating lunch in one of the toilet cubicles, she knew it wasn't very sanitary, but it was better than sitting alone in the corner of the courtyard with everyone around undoubtedly talking about her. Finally, the pinkette sighed and left the cubicle to wash her hands, the bell for everyone to return to class would ring soon and she didn't want to be late. She was just drying her hands when she heard the bathroom door open, and in waltzed two girls with a malicious sneer on their faces.  
"So, you're the one who's been trying to get into Sasuke-kun's pants, huh?" The first girl sneered.  
Sakura was shocked into silence, she'd only been at school for half a day and there were rumours about her already?

"Wow, your hair is even shinier than mine. You must spend a lot of time conditioning it, huh? You think you can seduce Sasuke-kun that way?" The other girl mocked while grabbing a handful of Sakura's pink locks.  
"Ow! What the hell, stop it, I'm not trying to seduce anyone!"  
"Well I don't believe you, we're going to have to do something about that won't we Kin?" The first girl sarcastically asked her friend.  
Kin laughed as she pushed Sakura down by the head until she was forced to sit on the floor, "Do it, Ami!"  
Sakura's eyes widened in fear as Ami took a wad of chewing gum out of her mouth.  
"No please! Don't! Stop it!"

* * *

Ino watched in shock horror from within the confines of her bathroom cubicle as Watanabi Ami and Tsuchi Kin continued to harass the new student. Sure, she wasn't a fan of the pink haired girl either, because anyone that close to Sasuke is just more competition for her. But she couldn't help but feel that Sakura didn't deserve this.

Peering through the crack where the cubicle's door met the wall, Ino watched as Ami pull out a chewed up piece of gum from her mouth. She held a hand to her lips to supress a gasp when Ami walked over to Sakura and smothered her chewed up gum all over the girl's hair. Her anger had reached boiling point, she could no longer sit in here and watch the poor girl get tormented. She heard Ami and Kin laughing, their expressions as smug as ever as they exited the bathroom. Clearly, they were quite proud of themselves.

* * *

Sakura sat there for a moment, much too shocked to move. Was _this_ the infamous Konoha Academy? A school full of bullies and mean girls? After a while she finally pushed herself off the floor and looked at herself in the mirror determined not to cry. Her hair had been ruined, a tangled mess with a huge lump of sticky chewing gum stuck to the back. She knew trying to wash it out would be futile, so instead she pulled out a pair of scissors from her pencil case and began to cut. Watching as her pink strands started to fall to the ground, she could no longer hold back the tears and began to sob.

"You need some help with that?" Sakura gasped and turned around to see Ino holding out her hand. Amid her tears, she hadn't noticed the blonde girl exiting the cubicle she was watching from. Hesitantly, she passed the scissors to her.  
"So, rough first day huh?" Ino asked conversationally as she snipped away at the rosette coloured locks, "You must be Sakura, you were in my History class first period."  
Sakura was still too stunned to form a coherent reply, she simply offered a slight nod.  
"Listen, don't be bothered by Ami and Kin, they're two of the biggest bitches on campus." Ino continued as she evened out Sakura's hair.  
"There, you're all done," the girl placed the scissors back in Sakura's hand just as the bell signalling the end of lunch rang, "Well, I guess that's the bell, I'll see you around Sakura!"  
Sakura could only stare as the blonde hair blue eyed beauty walked off. This school was nothing like she imagined it would be.

 **Author's Note:** For some reason I can't double space between paragraphs and everything looks all bunched together :( Even if I hit enter twice it shows up as a single space when I upload it, please help if anyone knows how to fix this

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3 - Real Friends

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei

 **Chapter 3- Real Friends  
**  
"So, how was your first day of school?" Fugaku asked as Sakura sat down for breakfast the next morning, not looking up from the ever present newspaper in front of him.  
"It was good," Sakura lied.  
"Oh honey what did you do to your hair?" Mikoto gasped, suddenly noticing how short her hair had become.  
Sakura didn't want to have to explain the events that unfolded yesterday, "Oh…I wanted a change, you know, new school new look," She offered a weak smile to Mikoto.  
"Well it looks lovely," Mikoto smiled back at her.

* * *

Sasuke wasn't convinced with Sakura's story. She had gone to school with long hair yesterday, and by the time he drove her back home her hair was short. When did she have time between classes to get a makeover? Not only that, but the car ride home from school yesterday was tense, he knew something was wrong.

 _One day ago – the car ride home.  
_  
"What happened to your hair?" Sasuke was never one to beat around the bush, always straight to the point.  
"Nothing, I cut it," she replied. He didn't believe it one bit.  
"Why have you been crying?"  
"Wh-What? I haven't been!" she stuttered.  
"Your eyes are bloodshot and red," Sasuke had always been observant, he had noticed it as soon as she climbed in the car.  
"I…I didn't sleep well last night, that's all."  
"Hn," he thought she was a terrible liar.

* * *

"Sakura, I'll drive you to school." Itachi spoke as he stood from the dining table, "Sasuke has already left, he has soccer training this morning and had to leave early."  
Sasuke and Itachi were similar in many ways, Sakura thought as she rode to school in Itachi's dark grey Aston Martin. Not only did they look strikingly alike, but the way they spoke and carried themselves were almost the same. Despite this, Sakura definitely preferred riding to school with Itachi a lot more she thought. It wasn't so tense and awkward with the older Uchiha brother. He was a lot more conversational than Sasuke too, he asked her about her day, what her family was like, what she was planning on doing in the future. It was as if Itachi knew she didn't want to talk about her first day at school, he steered clear of the topic the whole car ride.

Stepping out of the expensive car, she was in much higher spirits than yesterday.  
"Bye Itachi-san! Thank you for the ride!" she waved as the Uchiha drove away. Sakura seriously hoped that her second day of school would be better than the first. It seemed things wouldn't be that way though, people were still staring at her. Even more girls than yesterday were sending glares her way, if that were even possible. Sakura sighed and headed towards class. She just had a feeling today wouldn't go so smoothly either. The day flew by pretty quickly, Sakura always enjoyed school, after all, she excelled at every subject. As lunch time approached, the pinkette began to feel anxious, she did not want to run into Ami or Kin again, or Sasuke either for that matter. Looking around, she didn't see the two girls who had harassed her yesterday, she decided to quickly make her way to the toilet so she could eat in the safety of her little cubicle again. Turns out, luck wasn't on her side today as she turned the corner and bumped head on into none other than Watanabi Ami and Tsuchi Kin.

"Watch it!" Ami screeched, "Oh, look who it is! Little Sakura. I really like what you've done to your hair."  
This elicited a snide laugh from Kin.  
"Oh, guess what? I saw you getting dropped off this morning by Uchiha Itachi. Trying to have Sasuke-kun wasn't enough?" She continued, "Now you're fooling around with _both_ Uchiha brothers at once?"  
"I'm not." Sakura bit out in defence, "Just leave me alone". She tried to make her way around the two girls only to have Kin block her way.  
"Itachi has a fiancée you know?" Kin sneered, "I would watch my back if I were you, I mean I don't think his future wife would be happy if she found out you were whoring around-"  
"That's enough Kin, Ami." Sakura whipped around to see the blonde girl from yesterday standing there with a fierce gaze in her eyes. "Don't you bitches have anything better to do than harass the new girl? Honestly, you two are so pathetic."  
Sakura stared in awe at this girl, she just radiated confidence, the way she locked her baby blue eyes onto Ami told her that she wasn't playing around.  
"Go on, get out of here. I don't want to see you harassing Sakura again, or I _will_ get my daddy to buy all the shares to your half decent little company and bankrupt your entire family. The same goes for you too Kin," Ino continued while she flipped a strand of her long platinum hair behind her shoulder nonchalantly.

Kin growled, while Ami just stood there opening and closing her mouth trying to think of a retort.  
"Let's go Sakura, you can have lunch with us today," Ino chimed, as she grabbed Sakura's hand, leading her away from the two bullies, "I'm Ino by the way, I don't think I introduced myself last time we met."  
"Can your father really do that?" Sakura asked when they were out of ear shot.  
"Do what?"  
"Buy all their shares and bankrupt their whole family," Sakura was still stunned by how rich everyone at this school was.  
"Oh," Ino suddenly burst into laughter, "Probably not, but they don't need to know that." She winked.  
"Come on, let me introduce you to everyone," Ino pulled Sakura towards a large table at the centre of the courtyard.  
Sakura froze as soon as she saw Sasuke sitting at the table she was being led towards, "No, I don't think that's a good idea Ino…"  
"Hey guys! This is Sakura, she'll be sitting with us from now on," Ino cut her off.  
Sakura was met with an array of greetings, she recognized the blonde boy from her History class, Ino introduced him as Uzumaki Naruto, heir of Uzumaki Corps, one of the largest companies after Sasuke's. A shy girl sitting next to him introduced herself as Hyuuga Hinata, apparently from another large organization rival to Uchiha Enterprises.  
"…and that boy sleeping right there is Shikamaru Nara, his family owns Nara Hotels, he's one of the laziest people I've ever met though. The boy across the yard with the dog is Inuzuka Kiba, his parents own the biggest veterinary clinic in the whole town." Ino went on and on, describing every person she knew in the courtyard, which turns out, was _a lot_ of people.

It seemed like Ino knew everything about everyone, it was as if she could read minds, she knew all the details of everyone's families, who owned what, who was dating who. Finally, when she managed to catch Sakura up on everyone and everything, Naruto was finally given a chance to speak.  
"What happened to your hair Sakura-chan?"  
Sakura was really beginning to get sick of everyone asking, but before she could respond Ino answered for her, "Oh my God, you won't believe it, that bitch Ami-"  
"I just wanted a new style!" Sakura quickly cut in. The last thing she wanted was for more people to know about the drama that unfolded between her and Ami.  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow, now he was certain that there was more to what happened than Sakura was letting on.

* * *

As the bell rang and everyone headed off to their respective class rooms, Sasuke lingered back.  
"Ino, wait," he followed after the blonde.  
Ino raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows in confusion, years of chasing after Sasuke and he never showed the slightest interest in her before.  
"What really happened to Sakura's hair?" Ino was completely surprised, was that concern he was showing? And for Sakura of all people?  
A sly smile crept onto Ino's features as she rehashed the whole story, a little more dramatically than necessary, exaggerating every aspect.  
"Ah." Sasuke's responded with one of his iconic one word replies. 'So that's what happened,' he thought as a wave of guilt washed over him. His father had warned him that the students would be cruel, he had specifically told Sasuke to look after her, and he couldn't help but feel it was all his fault.

 **Author's Notes:**

Guys I'm completely blown away by the number of views I've gotten so far! So I decided to upload another chapter :)

Please please please review as this is my first ever fanfic so I would really like some feedback. Like I said before, I've got pretty much the whole story already written up in my laptop so I won't ever abandon this unless I receive A LOT of negative reviews, I'll probably upload a new chapter weekly from now on :)

Next few chapters will contain a lot more SasuSaku interaction btw!

Fun fact: Tsuchi Kin is the girl who grabbed Sakura by the hair during the Forest of Death Chunin Exam and Watanabi Ami is the purple haired girl who used to bully Sakura when she was younger in the original Naruto anime. I hate using OC's so I always try to find someone from the original anime that will fit the role!

Thank you for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4 - Knight in Shining Armour

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Another chapter for you guys, this one's a little short so I also uploaded the next chapter to make up for the length, so don't forget to click the 'next' button when you finish reading this one! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 4- Knight in Shining Armour  
**  
Sasuke arrived home late that night after staying back at campus to catch up on school work. He assumed everyone was already asleep so he snuck upstairs quietly. He stopped outside Sakura's room, the little gap under her door still had light flooding out of it.  
'What the hell is she doing up at this hour?' he thought.  
He wasn't sure why he did it, out of impulse or curiosity, but Sasuke found himself leaning against her door, ear pressed against the wood to try and hear what she was doing.  
"…yeah, my first week of school was great mum…yeah people were kind," Sasuke concluded that she must be on the phone. "Yeah, Sasuke is looking after me, he's been a great host...okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow mum, don't worry about me, bye."  
'Why was she lying?' Sasuke frowned to himself. From what he heard, her first week of school had been hell and he most definitely did not look after her. He was just about to walk away when he heard something else, a sigh. No, he leaned in closer to try and hear better, it sounded more like muffled sobs. She was crying? Sasuke's jaw set in a grimace, he couldn't quite understand why but hearing her cry brought out a certain protectiveness in him. After a few minutes he finally set off towards his room, he knew exactly what he would do tomorrow morning.

Sakura arrived at school, over the past week the amount of stares she received from the students had dwindled down a little. She was finally settling into the routine of things. But for some reason, when she stepped out of Sasuke's BMW that morning, she felt more eyes on her than ever before. "Sakura!" Ino practically ran straight into the pinkette in the hallway, having to stop for a minute to catch her breath.  
"Hey Ino," Sakura laughed, "What's got you in a rush?"  
"Sakura, have you heard? Ami and Kin aren't at school today!"  
"What?" Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion.  
"They both got expelled! Rumour has it, that Sasuke made an appointment with Principal Tsunade yesterday and told her what the girls did to you! He demanded she do something about it or he would sue the school for bullying and harassment charges!" Ino was speaking so fast she was practically out of breath by the time she finished.

Sakura was livid for the rest of the day. Who did Sasuke think he was, butting into her personal problems like that? After school she stalked straight up to Sasuke in the parking lot to demand an answer.  
"What the hell is your problem?" she all but shrieked at him.  
Sasuke looked at her like she was crazy.  
"Who gave you the right to go to the principal to demand Ami and Kin's heads? It was _my_ problem! The last thing I need is more spotlight on me and now everyone knows!"  
"Why are you so angry?" Sasuke deadpanned, "You seemed upset after talking to your mum last night, so I pulled some strings and made them go away. Problem solved."  
Sakura was at a loss for words for a moment. Sasuke was just trying to help her out, he was just trying to cheer her up because he knew she was upset last night.  
"Oh…well…if you put it that way..." she mumbled.  
"Wait a minute, how did you know I was upset last night? How did you know I spoke to my mum?" And just like that she was furious again, she balled her fists up and began to childishly hit Sasuke against the chest. "You were _spying_ on me? How dare you!"

The next thing Sasuke did practically knocked the breath right out of Sakura. He grabbed her by both her wrists and pulled the pinkette in towards him until she was flush against his chest. She immediately froze. Sasuke leaned in further if that was even possible, she felt his hot breath against her ear as he whispered "Sakura stop. Everyone's staring."  
Sakura slowly came to her senses, she looked around, people _were_ staring. She was attracting more unwanted attention to herself without realizing. She could feel her face burning with embarrassment. After what felt like years, Sasuke finally let go of her hands when he felt she had calmed down.  
"Let's go home," he led her towards the car, his hand on the small of her back the entire time. Sasuke opened the passenger side door for her and ushered her in, before shutting the door and climbing into his driver's seat. Sakura couldn't wipe the blush off her face the whole ride back to the Uchiha manor.

 **Author's Note:**  
A big shout out to Aimee, BlankMc and asma raya for leaving reviews :D

Thanks guys, it means a lot to me and encourages me to keep posting chapters up. I've pretty much finished the whole story now, it's 22 chapters including the epilogue so there's heaps more to come if you guys are still interested, just leave a review and let me know if you want me to keep uploading :)

Also, apologies for uploading randomly in the middle of the night, I live in Aus and I realized most of my readers are from the US so, sorry if I upload at an inconvenient time for you guys :P

Thank you all for reading!


	5. Chapter 5 - My Keeper

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 5- My Keeper  
**  
Sakura peered outside the door of her room, making sure the hallway was empty. Ever since her little outburst in the parking lot last week she had been trying to avoid Sasuke. Every time they made eye contact she could practically feel the blush creeping back into her cheeks. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't forget the way he pulled her tiny frame against his strong body and the way his warm breath felt as he whispered in her ear. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts Sakura grabbed her bathing essentials and hurried towards the bathroom. She didn't want to risk bumping into him.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she grabbed the bathroom door handle and was just about to push the door open when it flew open by itself. The force pulling her forward, forcing her to lose her balance. To her horror, she fell forward and landed face first into someone's chest.  
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she quickly apologised, pushing herself to stand upright again.  
"Hn," Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up to see Sasuke staring down at her, the ghost of a smirk appearing in the corner of his mouth. Her face became a shade of crimson red when she realized he was shirtless, and his hair damp with water glistening off the onyx strands. The realization suddenly hit her, that Sasuke had just stepped out of the shower, and he looked _so_ good. She quickly averted her eyes from Sasuke's perfectly chiselled figure before turning on her heel and practically running back to her room. Her shower could wait she decided.

* * *

Sasuke frowned as he watched the back of Sakura's retreating form. She had been acting strange around him ever since the parking lot incident. He had almost not seen her around at all during the past week, it was as if she was trying to avoid him. His eyes squinted in annoyance, for some reason, he did not like the thought of her avoiding him at all. Oh well, she couldn't avoid him forever, he thought, at the very least she would have to see him at breakfast tomorrow and on the drive to school.

Breakfast the next morning didn't go to plan either.  
"Mikoto-san, I was wondering if I could catch the bus to school from now on," Sakura had casually asked while she ate her omelette.  
Sasuke's hand tightened around his chopsticks, his eyebrows pulled downwards as he scowled. He couldn't believe this girl, now she didn't want him to drive her to school either?  
Mikoto giggled slightly at this while Itachi laughed, "Why? Is my ototo's driving not up to par?"  
Sasuke shot Itachi a glare.  
"Oh no, no! Of course not," Sakura waved her hands in front of her to signal that that was not what she meant, "I just don't like the way people stare at me every time I get step out of Sasuke-kun or Itachi-san's car." She looked down to avert her gaze from the four pairs of Uchiha eyes staring at her.  
"Busses don't travel to this part of town," Fugaku finally spoke up, "Everyone here either has their own car or uses a chauffeur."  
That made sense, Sakura thought, anyone that lived around here would be way too rich to use public transport. Her shoulders hunched in disappointment.  
"We could always hire you a permanent chauffeur if that makes you feel more comfortable," Fugaku offered.  
"Oh no! That's too much trouble, but thank you Fugaku-san". The car ride to school was more awkward than ever before.

* * *

After school Ino practically dragged Sakura to the football field.  
"Slow down Ino-pig! Where are you taking me?"  
"Less questions more walking forehead! I want you to meet someone." Sakura didn't know when they adopted these nicknames for each other, but ever since the blonde had saved her from the two bullies that day she had become her best friend at Konoha Academy. Finally, they stopped on a patch of grass right next to the bleachers.  
"This is Temari," Ino introduced the girl standing before them, she was tall and had dark green eyes, with sandy yellow hair parted into four spikey ponytails. The hairstyle would have looked silly on anyone else, Sakura thought, but she managed to pull it off really well and looked stunning none the less.  
"She's Shikamaru's girlfriend and my co-captain for cheerleading," Ino continued, "So, since Ami and Kin got expelled we actually have a few vacant spots on the team and we're having try outs this afternoon. I told Temari you would make an excellent fit!"  
"You WHAT?" Sakura screeched, "I don't even have any experience in cheerleading, and besides, I'm a scholarship student, I don't have time for extracurricular activities, I need to keep my grades up."  
"Relax, you don't need any experience, we'll teach you the basics. We just need someone small for the top of our pyramid and your figure is perfect for it," Temari spoke in a cool tone, eyeing Sakura up and down.  
"What about Hinata? Or TenTen?" Sakura tried to counter.  
"Ha! Hinata would die if her dad ever saw her in our skimpy cheerleading uniforms, and TenTen's such a boy she'd rather be on the field than on the sidelines," Ino laughed.  
"Sorry Ino, Temari, I really can't," Sakura tried in her most persuasive tone.  
Ino was just about to start firing her next line of arguments when she was interrupted by a voice.  
"Um, Sakura-san, may I talk to you for a minute?"  
Sakura turned around and saw Lee standing there, Ino had introduced him as a martial arts prodigy, he was one of the nicer students at K.A but his shiny bowl shaped haircut and thick brows often gave her the creeps.

* * *

"Hey Uchiha, isn't that Lee chatting up your girl?" Kiba jerked a thumb in the direction of where the cheerleaders were currently holding try outs.  
Sasuke paused from his soccer training to look over. He saw the martial artist standing in front of Sakura, a wide grin on his face, teeth so blinding it hurt to watch, and his arm outstretched as he held a big thumb's up to the girl.  
Sasuke growled as he made his way across the field, "She's _not_ my girl," he barked back. His anger flared as he heard Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru and the rest of the soccer team laughing as he practically stormed across the patch of grass.

"Sakura-san, your beauty and youth astounds me, please, be my girlfriend, I will protect you until I die!" Sasuke heard the boy gush. Sakura's expression was a look of pure surprise; her doe eyes were round with shock. Sasuke growled as he strode up to the pair and swiftly placed himself between Lee and the girl.  
"She doesn't want to be your girlfriend," Sasuke deadpanned as he pushed Sakura behind his back.  
"Sasuke-kun!" the pinkette gasped, "What the hell are you doing?"  
"Ah Sasuke-san, I see you are also a contender for Sakura-san's love. Very well, I'm impressed with your youthfulness, we shall see who can win her heart," Lee grinned, "Farewell Sakura-san." He quickly blew a kiss to the girl before sprinting off.

"What the hell was that?" Sakura glared at the Uchiha.  
Sasuke turned around and returned the glare, "Are you saying you'd rather accept his offer?"  
"Of course not! But that was _my_ choice to make!"  
"You're not going to cheer tryouts either," Sasuke said in a no-nonsense tone.  
"What?! Who the hell do you think you are? My _keeper?"_ Sakura was now furious.  
Sasuke was not about to let her join the cheerleading team, he's heard enough talk in the boys change room to know what they thought about cheerleaders: blonde, bimbo's and easy-to-get.  
"You're _not_ trying out." He repeated.  
"You know what? I wasn't planning to anyway, but since you won't let me, I'm freakin' doing it," Sakura crossed her arms across her chest, "INO! Sign me up!" she yelled, without breaking eye contact with the boy.

 **Author's Note:**

If you have a spare minute please review, this is my first ever fic so feel free to leave feedback for me! :)

Thank you all for reading!


	6. Chapter 6 - Protective

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 6 – Protective  
**  
Sakura was still absolutely livid at Sasuke the next morning. 'Who does he think he is?' she thought, 'telling me what to do, who I can or can't date. Ugh!'  
After pulling on her uniform she begrudgingly stomped down the stairs. She was not looking forward to sharing a car with Sasuke this morning.  
Seeing him standing there in the foyer waiting for her she sighed, "Let's get this over with."  
She walked out the front door, stalked right over to Sasuke's BMW and folded her arms, "Well? Aren't you going to unlock the door so I can get in?"  
"Hn," he smirked, "No."  
"No? What do you mean no?" she shrieked. That was it, he was an absolute ass she decided, especially after the scene he caused yesterday, and he didn't even bother to apologise.  
He simply started walking towards the side of the Manor, Sakura guessed that he wanted her to follow, so she rolled her eyes and complied.

She stood there tapping her foot impatiently while she waited for Sasuke to do whatever he was planning. The door of the garage slowly lifted, revealing a shiny, bright red Audi. She turned to face Sasuke, a look of confusion spread across her features.  
"We're taking a different car to school today?" She asked.  
"No. _You're_ taking a different car to school today," He grabbed Sakura's dainty hand, turned it so it was facing upwards and dropped a set of car keys into her palm. Sakura's eyebrows rose and her bright green eyes widened.  
"Since there's no busses around, and you wouldn't accept my dad's offer of the chauffer so I thought…"  
Sasuke didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Sakura launched herself at him, she threw her arms around the boy's neck and squealed in delight, "Oh my God! I can't believe you got me a car! Sasuke-kun!".  
"Well, I didn't really get it for you, it's my mum's old one. It's been gathering dust in the Uchiha warehouse for a while," Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, looking away he did the best he could to try and hide the blush that was threatening to creep across his cheeks.  
"It doesn't matter! That's so thoughtful of you, really Sasuke-kun, thank you," the way Sakura beamed at him with genuine happiness was enough to knock the breath out of his lungs.

* * *

Sakura arrived to school that day in high spirits, she loved her new car, and she knew it was Sasuke's own way of apologising to her. After all, he wasn't a man of many words.  
"Guess what forehead?" Ino strode up to her desk with Termari in tow and tossed her a paper bag, "You're in! This is your new uniform, put it on this afternoon so we can take a new cheer squad photo with the whole team."  
Sakura grinned, this day was just getting better and better.

At the end of day Sakura had changed into her uniform like Ino had asked. She thought she looked cute as she did a little 360 in the girls' bathroom. The cheerleader uniform consisted of a white crop top with the Konoha colours of black and red lining the edges. The letters K and A were written across the chest with the leaf symbol sitting between the two letters proudly. The mini skirt was black lined with a red trim. She did one last twirl before exiting the bathroom. The pinkette walked in the hallway with confidence, she was attracting gazes from everyone around her again, but this time for a good reason she thought.

* * *

Sasuke crossed the almost empty parking lot to where his shiny BMW sat. 'That's strange,' he thought to himself, the parking lot was almost empty meaning most of the students had gone home already, but the little red Audi he gave Sakura that morning was still parked next to his own vehicle. He glanced down at his iPhone, 3:50pm. School finished almost an hour ago, she shouldn't be here this late. Sighing, he threw his school bag into the trunk of his car and started his trek back to campus, 'Where the hell is that woman?'

* * *

Sakura walked the now empty school halls, everyone had probably gone home by this hour and the lights were off already. Only a few more turns and she would be at the auditorium where the rest of the cheer squad were probably waiting for her. As she turned another corner she saw a lone figure standing there, leaning against the lockers. She thought he looked familiar, but couldn't pin point where she had seen him before, his eyes followed her every move as she continued to walk. His sudden movement caught her off guard though, and she suddenly found herself with her back pressed against the locker.  
"What the hell?" She gasped.  
"Hey, don't panic," He smirked against her ear.  
Sakura felt revolted by his closeness, she hardly had any room to move with his arms on either side of her body caging her in.  
"Let go of me!" she raised a fist to hit him but he grabbed a hold of it easily before she could land a punch.  
"You remember Kin?" He asked.  
Sakura's eyes widened in realization, she remembered where she had seen him before now, he was Kin's boyfriend, Abumi Zaku.  
"Well, since you got my girlfriend expelled, I'm looking for a replacement," he continued.  
"Go to hell," Sakura spat at him, she raised her free hand to try and push him away, only to have him grab that one too.  
"Ooh, feisty, I like that," his laugh was low and menacing.  
Suddenly, he had both of Sakura's hands pinned above her head. She tried to scream but her voice was muffled as he smothered her in a kiss. Sakura felt absolutely violated. Tears began to form as she tried to thrash against him and break free. He was too strong, and she felt sick to her stomach when his free hand began to linger under the hem of her shirt. She tried to pull away but he only forced himself against her body further, backing her into the lockers. Her back hurt as she felt the metal details of the lockers digging into her skin. She couldn't hold the tears back as his hand trailed further and further up her abdomen. When he pulled back slightly for some air, Sakura saw an opening and bit down hard on his lip.  
The few seconds their lips parted for was all she needed, "HELP!" she screamed as loudly as she could.  
"Fuck!" Zaku swore, his eyes filled with malicious intent and his lips closed in over hers again. 

* * *

Sasuke walked around the halls checking in each of the class rooms. The lights were off already, meaning all the teachers and admin had gone home. He was beginning to think that he was being paranoid for no reason; Sakura was probably with Ino or Hinata he concluded. He sighed and turned around to head back to his car cursing inwardly for wasting his own time when he suddenly heard it. A high pitched scream. He turned around and sprinted towards the direction it came from, it was Sakura's voice, no doubt. As he turned the corner, the sight that he was met with immediately brought forth his fury. Zaku had Sakura pinned against the lockers, both her hands were restrained above her head while his hand lingered under her shirt. In that instant, Sasuke didn't even feel like himself anymore, so much rage was building inside him, his iris's shook with anger and he was positively seeing red.

What happened next was a little fuzzy to him. He remembered closing the distance between him and Zaku in an instant, pulling him off Sakura and then beating him senseless. He couldn't stop, he was just so enraged. And he didn't even know why. Something about this pink haired girl just provoked a sense of protectiveness and possessiveness in Sasuke that he didn't even know he had inside him. The next thing he remembered, was pushing Zaku down into a kneeling position while he held both his arms back.  
"You like using your hands so much?" Sasuke mocked, "how would you like it if I broke them?" Slowly, Sasuke raised his foot and set it against Zaku's back, pulling slightly on his arms.  
Zaku screamed in agony, "Stop! Are you fucking crazy?!"

* * *

Sakura was a little dazed. At one moment, she was being held against her will, feeling so violated and disgusted. The next thing she knew, Sasuke had appeared out of nowhere and punched Zaku straight across the jaw, sending him flying across the hall. She watched as Sasuke pushed the boy down and started punching him over and over. She had never been so thankful for Sasuke coming to her aid. But when she looked into Sasuke's eyes she realized he wasn't going to stop, she was sure Zaku had learnt his lesson, but Sasuke didn't seem like himself anymore. His eyes were so full of hatred it made Sakura tremble. She watched in shock as Sasuke held Zaku's arms behind his back, clearly intent on breaking them.

"Stop!" she cried out. Pushing herself up from the floor she was slumped against, Sakura ran towards him. Tears spilled from her eyes as she ran and ran. Finally, she threw her arms around Sasuke's waist, burying her face into his back as she cried. "Sasuke, please stop."

 **Author's Note:  
**

Thank you to everyone who left me reviews! I read every single one and it makes me so happy whenever I get a notification saying someone's reviewed :)

I've received recommendations to write longer chapters, and unfortunately since this whole story is pre-written on my laptop I don't want to do any major editing like joining my chapters together to make them longer :( because I feel like I've ended the chapters in good places, some are cliff hangers :P But I will definitely keep this in mind for when I write in the future.

But what I will try to do is update often and regularly, like a couple chapters a week so you guys won't have to wait too long between chapters!

Please leave a review if you have time :) I love reading your feedback and they motivate me to keep posting chapters up regularly!

Fun fact: Most of you probably guessed it already but, this chapter was inspired by the Forest of Death scene where the curse mark takes over Sasuke's body. Abumi Zaku is the Oto ninja who got both his arms broken by Sasuke.

Thank you all for reading!


	7. Chapter 7 - Peace at Last

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 7 – Peace at Last  
**  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Sakura had lost count of how many times Sasuke had asked her this. He stood in the doorway of her bedroom after he had driven them both home.  
"I'm okay," she replied as usual.  
The edges of Sasuke's lips pulled downwards into a frown, she was still a terrible liar and he knew she was still somewhat in shock.  
"I just want to take a really hot shower and wash everything away, I feel really dirty," she whispered staring at a spot on the carpet, not wanting to make eye contact with the Uchiha.  
"Okay, I'll be in my room if you need anything," Sasuke offered as he turned towards his own room. He knew she must have felt disgusting and violated and decided he would give her some space for the time being. He still wanted to break something every time he remembered the way Zaku was pressed up against her. He couldn't help but feel protective over this girl, God knows why. He had never been this angry before.  
"Wait!" she didn't know what had triggered her outburst, but she suddenly felt paranoid, afraid when she saw Sasuke's retreating figure, "Can…can you stay here? It would make me feel better."  
"Ah. Sure," He turned back around and took a seat on her bed while she gathered some bathing essentials and left for the bathroom.

He stayed with her for the remainder of the day. Watching her back as she lay on her bed facing the window away from him, both of them were fairly comfortable sitting in the silence. It was about midnight when Sakura finally turned around and looked straight at him.  
"What happened, Sasuke-kun?" she was so quiet he hardly heard her, but he knew exactly what she was asking.  
"I don't know," He answered honestly.  
She wouldn't break her gaze, and he knew that she was expecting more of an answer.  
He sighed reluctantly and continued, "I guess I just felt protective, it's like how I felt when I saw that martial artist talking to you, or when I heard about what Ami and Kin did to you. Only this time the feelings were so strong I couldn't push them back." He turned his head, utterly embarrassed at what he had just admitted, "I hate seeing you hurt."  
Sakura realized that that was as much as he was going to say.  
"Thank you Sasuke-kun, for being there for me," offering a him a small smile, she reached out and put her hand over his.

* * *

Word had travelled pretty quickly about what transpired between Sasuke and Zaku. To Sakura's relief, the next few weeks at school were relatively low-key and drama free. No one in their right mind was brave enough to harass the girl after seeing the bruises Sasuke had left on Zaku. Zaku was also careful to stay well away from the pinkette at all times, he wasn't laying charges against Sasuke, because anyone with half a brain knew you couldn't afford to win a lawsuit against the Uchiha's. Sakura found herself spending most of her time with Ino, Temari and Hinata, and to her surprise when she wasn't with the girls she would be with Sasuke. She found his presence comforting now, unlike the awkwardness they felt during their first few days together. Occasionally he would walk her to class just to remind everyone not to mess with her, and although Sakura had whinged non-stop about how she could take care of herself, she was still thankful that he watched out for her.

Just as quickly as her semester had begun, it was already halfway over. Everyone was excited for the upcoming mid-semester break.  
"Hey Forehead! Uchiha!" on the last day of school Ino ran up to pair in the hallway, shoving a piece of paper unceremoniously in their hands.  
"Ino's halfway soiree," Sakura read out loud.  
"As usual, I'm throwing my mid-semester party to celebrate getting through another school term," she flashed her brilliant smile, "and you're both invited!" And with that she had run off to the end of the hall towards Hinata and Naruto, undoubtedly inviting them to her party too.

"Sounds like fun," Sakura smiled up at Sasuke, "we should go."  
"Hn. No way," Sasuke grunted in response, he had never failed to be invited to Ino's yearly parties, but he had never once attended. Sasuke was not a social person and he preferred keeping to himself, and this year would be no different.  
"Okay fine, I guess I'll just go by myself then," Sakura spoke in the most innocent voice she could muster.  
Sasuke's eyes squinted a fraction, he did not like the idea of Sakura being at one of Ino's parties by herself, he heard they could get quite crazy and that she always had an abundance of alcohol ready.  
"Like hell you will," he mumbled as he grabbed her hand and dragged her to her next class.  
Sakura giggled at the sight of him, she thought he looked absolutely adorable when he pouted.

After he dropped Sakura off at her Maths class, Sasuke made his way to his own Science classroom and slumped down in his designated seat.  
"So, teme, when are you going to make it official?" Naruto asked from the seat to his left.  
"What the hell are you going on about dobe?"  
"You and Sakura-chan!" The boy exclaimed.  
"Yeah have you two hooked up yet?" Kiba piped up from the seat in front casually glancing back as he swung on the hind legs of his chair.  
Sasuke shot Kiba a glare.  
"Come on! Everyone's seen you two being all lovey dovey in the hallways," the blonde to his left wiggled his eyebrows.  
Sasuke decided the best course of action was to just ignore the two idiots.  
"Man, if I were you I'd get in quick," Kiba added, "I mean with those looks she could get anyone." He let out a low whistle. The ever present white dog under his desk let out a bark, almost as if he was agreeing to what his owner had said.  
The low growl that emitted from Sasuke was enough to shut everyone up.

 **Author's Note:**

This chapter's a little short guys, so I plan to upload the next chapter tomorrow, or the day after, to make up for the length :)

Also, not much happening in this chapter :P but I rekon Sasuke and Sakura needed a little break from all the intense drama that has happened recently, but don't worry guys, there is plenty more drama in future chapters to come, haha :D

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Please keep them coming, I love reading all your comments!

Thank you all for reading!


	8. Chapter 8 - Seize the Moment

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 8 – Seize the Moment  
**  
Sakura stepped out of the passenger side of her little red Audi, Sasuke had insisted on driving even though they were taking her car which annoyed her to no end, but in the end she had to remind herself just to be grateful that Sasuke was even attending the party.  
"Wow," she breathed, Ino's mansion was amazing, three stories high and located on the edge of a secluded beach. She couldn't imagine how amazing it would be to wake up with the view of the ocean each day.

"Sakura! You made it!" Ino flung herself at her best friend as soon as she walked in, "Wow, and you managed to make Mr. Antisocial come along too, impressive," she whispered low enough so Sasuke couldn't hear.  
"Shut up pig," Sakura giggled, "Wow you look great."  
Ino did quick a 360 for Sakura, the little black dress she wore looked amazing on her, the neckline dipped nice and low to ensure her cleavage was on display, and her legs looked like they were never ending in the strappy silver heels she wore. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and laughed, "You scrub up pretty well too, forehead."  
Sakura wasn't as blessed in the chest department as her best friend, so instead she opted for a backless red dress that ended just above the knees and paired it with a pair of nude pumps that accentuated the length of her legs. After all, if she couldn't show cleavage, she would have to make up for it by showing off something else.

Sakura was thoroughly impressed, Ino had managed to transform the entire living room of her mansion into a night club, DJ and disco ball included, after all, she was notorious for being a major daddy's girl and getting whatever she wanted.  
After a while the pinkette managed to convince Sasuke to let her dance with the girls, "I'll be fine," she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek "I can look after myself, go chat to the guys." Before he could object she had already waved Naruto over to drag Sasuke away.

* * *

"So, are you two like, together now?" Ino squealed as she pulled Sakura onto the dance floor.  
"Yeah, I must admit you two look very good together," Hinata added quietly as she swayed to the music.  
Sakura was thankful that it was dark at the party because she could practically feel her cheeks heat up, "No! We're not together!"  
"Bullshit!" Temari smirked, "Don't hide it honey, we can all see the way you too look at each other."  
"Shut up Temari!" Sakura laughed, she was too happy to deny anything right now, plus a few pre-drinks earlier had already gotten her into a giddy mood.  
"Oh my God, you two are so perfect together!" Sakura concluded that Ino was already tipsy, before she could reply, Ino had already pulled everyone in for a group hug.

* * *

Sasuke watched quietly from the bar where he sat, Naruto and Kiba were chatting animatedly next to him.  
'Why did I bother coming?' he inwardly sighed, then he remembered, he was meant to be keeping an eye on Sakura. He looked around the living room turned night club and couldn't spot the pinkette anywhere. His eyes travelled to the snack bar where Chouji was devouring anything he could get his hands on, nope she wasn't there either. He saw Shikamaru sandwiched uncomfortably between Temari's two brothers on the couch, Sasuke stifled a chuckle, at that moment he was so glad that Sakura didn't have any older brothers watching over him like a guard dog ready to pounce. Finally, he spotted Sakura with her group of girlfriends swaying to the music on the dancefloor. He stopped and just admired her for a minute, the way she moved her body, her cherry blossom locks swaying in the air as she danced, he thought she was absolutely breathtaking.

* * *

 _Earlier that afternoon._

"You look fancy Ototo," Itachi had smirked at him from the doorway of his room, "Going to that party with Sakura today?"  
"Hn. I'm not going with her. We just happen to be invited to the same party," Sasuke replied as casually as he could. He looked back towards his mirror and picked up his tie to resume what he was doing before his brother had rudely interrupted.  
Itachi laughed, "Just remember, seize the moment, foolish little brother, or you'll regret it later."  
Sasuke grunted in response, 'What does _he_ know?' he thought bitterly, 'He's engaged to some girl he doesn't even like just to please father.' Sasuke thought that Itachi should be the last person to lecture him on girls.

* * *

"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the pinkette running towards him, "Come on, it's almost midnight, Ino says she always arranges fireworks to go off over the ocean at twelve. Let's go get a good view."  
And just like that, everyone started scurrying towards the veranda to get a better view, some even went down into Ino's backyard, which also happened to be the beach. A silence fell across the crowd as the countdown began.  
"Five…" Sasuke looked over to his right, Sakura was leaning against the railing, her brilliant green eyes staring out at the ocean, a small smile graced her lips, and Sasuke felt his heart beating erratically.  
"Four…" He saw Naruto and Hinata standing a few meters to his left, she was leaning against the railing while Naruto stood behind her, holding her in his arms, and resting his chin on the top of her head.  
"Three…" He noticed Ino down on the beach, a half empty wine glass in her hand as she passionately kissed the new transfer student, Sai.  
"Two…" Even Shikamaru had a hand lazily thrown across his girlfriend's shoulder. They looked so content just standing there next to each other.  
"One!" 'Seize the moment, foolish little brother, or you'll regret it later.' Itachi's words from earlier that day swam around in his mind.

Suddenly, with a bang, the sky lit up with an array of beautiful colours. He watched Sakura, as she watched the fireworks. He was mesmerised by the way the colour's illuminating the sky reflected in her eyes. In that moment he knew, he was in love with this girl. And for the first time in his life, Sasuke decided to throw all caution to the wind. He grabbed Sakura's shoulders and spun her around to face him. Confusion spread across Sakura's face, she opened her mouth to question what he was doing, but before she could say anything Sasuke took her lips with his own and planted a firm, passionate kiss.

 **Author's Note:**

As promised, here's the next chapter :) They finally kissed, hope you all enjoyed haha :P During the fireworks scene I wanted Sasuke to look around and see all the other couples looking happy and content together which pushed him to finally take a risk and kiss her!

Also if anyone's curious about Itachi's fiancee, I do reveal who she is in future chapters :)

Next update will probably be in two days time :) I won't leave you guys waiting too long.

Thank you again to everyone who left reviews!

Thank you all for reading!


	9. Chapter 9 - Cloud Nine

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 9 – Cloud Nine  
**  
Sakura felt like she could have died and went to heaven. The past week had been the best of her life. Not only was school out and she was finally able to relax for two weeks, but her relationship with Sasuke was better than ever. 'We kissed!' she thought, 'we actually kissed!'  
She could still remember the moment clearly. One minute she was standing next to him watching fireworks erupt above the ocean, and the next minute he had spun her around, pulled her towards him and kissed her. It happened so fast she wasn't even sure it was real, until the fireworks stopped and they were still there, just the two of them kissing under the moonlight.

Sakura felt butterflies even just thinking about it. Of course she had copped it from the girls the day after. Her phone went crazy with the amount of text messages she got from Ino, Hinata, Temari and even Naruto. It seemed like everyone wanted in on the latest gossip. The first week of the holidays had been amazing. Turns out Sasuke was a romantic, he enjoyed taking her out on dates like a real couple, but not only that, the best part was that they already lived together, it felt so natural to just watch movies together on the couch or go for a swim together in his pool. The Uchiha manor was so huge that they had enough privacy easily.

The pinkette snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door, "Sakura, get dressed."  
She smiled, 'Typical Sasuke' she thought, always straight to the point.  
"Okay, just a minute," she called out, "Are we going somewhere?"  
"Ah. Just wear something nice."

* * *

Fugaku and Mikoto were in Suna for three days, they had a business trip and this time they decided to bring Itachi along to teach him the reigns before he took over the family company. Sasuke decided this would be a perfect opportunity to cook a nice dinner for just the two of them without anyone intruding. He wasn't a great chef, Itachi was the better cook out of the two brothers, but he had asked his older brother teach him a few recipes before he left.

Setting the last few dishes onto the dining table and lighting a few candles, Sasuke decided to head upstairs to call Sakura down for dinner. He quickly checked how he looked in the reflection of the kitchen window. He was feeling a little silly in the suit and tie but he wanted everything to be perfect for Sakura tonight.  
"So, how do I look?" Sasuke whipped around and the sight he was met with took his breath away. Sakura stood there dressed in a baby pink chiffon dress and black heels. He thought she looked as elegant as ever with her hair curled and a dainty little pearl necklace sitting on her slender neck.  
Before he could answer, her eyes widened "Oh my God Sasuke! Did you cook all this?" she gushed.

It was official, she was on cloud nine, Sakura decided. She didn't know what she did to deserve someone like Sasuke. To say that he made her feel special was an understatement.  
"You don't have to do that," Sasuke said as the pinkette started to gather all the dirty plates, "We have maids for a reason."  
"Non-sense, Sasuke-kun, I want to. You cooked so I'll clean," Sakura walked over to the sink and started washing the first plate.  
Wordlessly, Sasuke rolled up his sleeves and made his way over to help Sakura with the dishes.  
'I could get used to this,' Sakura inwardly beamed.  
"Sasuke-kun, you have something on your face," a cheeky smile broke out on the pinkette's face.  
"Where?"  
"Here!" she shouted as she cupped her hands under the sink and threw the water onto Sasuke.  
Oh it was on, Sasuke thought. He grabbed the sink's detachable nozzle and sprayed a hot stream of water all over the pinkette.  
"Ah! Stop Sasuke-kun!" she giggled. And just like that, an all-out water fight broke out between the two.

* * *

Sasuke thought Sakura was absolutely stunning with her hair wet and glistening and her dress stuck tightly against her body. He stared at her for a minute just to admire her, and then with full force, he pushed her against the kitchen counter and pressed his lips against her. He felt her thread her fingers through his hair, and pull him closer. At that moment, he felt like he needed her against his body, he lifted her up and sat her down against the counter as she wrapped her legs around him. Everything was a blur and Sasuke didn't know how, but they managed to make their way up the stairs into his bedroom without ever separating. The pair broke apart for a minute to catch their breaths and emerald met onyx as they gazed into each other's eyes.

He pushed her onto his bed and continued to kiss her hastily, she moaned as his lips left hers and trailed down towards her neck. Sasuke could feel Sakura's delicate fingers unbuttoning his buttons one at a time, before long his shirt was thrown onto the floor. He felt the tingling of desire in his abdomen and his pants suddenly felt too tight. He was pulled back into reality when he felt her fingers reach for his belt buckle. Instantly he pushed her body away from him, afraid that he was moving too fast, afraid that he would hurt someone as pure as her.  
She stared into his eyes, refusing to break eye contact, "It's okay," she breathed.  
Sasuke could see the determination in her eyes, "Are…are you sure?" his voice came out a lot shakier than he imagined.  
The pinkette nodded, Sasuke's mind was filled with pure bliss as she pulled the zipper of her dress down and he watched it slip off her body. And finally their lips crashed together again.

 **Author's Note:**

As promised, here's another chapter! I'm not confident at writing lemons so I stopped it there haha :P

The drama starts again in the next chapter and I can't wait for you guys to read it. Let's just say, Fugaku comes back from the business trip in Suna with some bad news. Anyone have any ideas what it could be? Feel free to take a guess in the reviews section :P

I'll probably be uploading the next chapter tomorrow, or the day after :)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed! You guys keep me motivated to keep uploading chapters.

Thank you all for reading!


	10. Chapter 10 - Back to Reality

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 10 – Back to Reality  
**  
Sasuke woke up early the next morning, his body clock was as acute as ever. He knew that his parents and brother were flying back to Konoha this morning and should arrive home soon. Quietly he pulled on a pair of grey track pants and a plain black t-shirt making sure not to wake the sleeping girl in his bed. He smiled as he watched Sakura roll over onto her stomach hugging his pillow. Silently, he pulled the covers over her naked form and kissed her head, lingering a little to inhale the sweet scent of her shampoo.

* * *

Sasuke stepped outside to greet his parents as their car pulled up to the driveway.  
"How was your trip to Suna?" he asked his father as the butlers scurried about carrying luggage inside.  
"Very well," Fugaku replied monotonously.  
"You're in a good mood this morning Sasuke," Itachi smirked at him knowingly.  
"Hn," Sasuke decided the best course of action was just to ignore his remark, for some reason, Itachi was always very perceptive, he always seemed to connect the dots straight away.  
"Sasuke, I need to speak to you when we get inside," Fugaku spoke in a stern voice, "alone."  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, he could tell when his father was serious, and this was one of those times when you did not want to disobey Uchiha Fugaku. Hesitantly, Sasuke followed his father into his home office. Fugaku shut the large double panel doors behind him and sat down at his red mahogany desk. Nodding at the seat across from him, he indicated for his son to sit down. He regarded Sasuke with a strict look, interlocking his fingers in front of his face with his elbows resting against the surface of the desk.  
"As you know, I've just returned from an important business trip," He spoke as soon as Sasuke sat down.  
"Ah," Sasuke responded with one of his typical mono syllabic replies.

* * *

Sakura rolled over onto her back, stretching her limbs out. She wanted to sleep in a bit more but the blinding sunlight peeking in through the curtains told her it was way past midday already. She took in her surroundings, grey walls and navy curtains, and she bolted upright. This wasn't her room. Suddenly the events of last night unfolded in her memories, she remembered the way Sasuke had held her so gently and looked into her eyes with love. She smiled and stifled a yawn, picking up the abandoned button up shirt Sasuke wore last night, she slipped it on and made her way back to her room to freshen up. She concluded that she must have been a saint in her previous life. She was attending Konoha Academy, on a scholarship no less, she was one of the top students in her grade, she had made some amazing friends and now she had the best boyfriend you could ask for.  
'Could my life get any better?' Sakura just couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

* * *

Sasuke could tell something was bothering his father, "Dad, did something happen at the meeting?" he asked carefully.  
Fugaku let out a sigh, "It has come to our attention that the heir of our rival company Hyuuga Co. has been in a romantic relationship with the heir to Uzumaki Corporations for quite a while now."  
"Ah," Sasuke nodded, "Hinata and Naruto."  
"We fear a foreseeable union for the two companies in the future," Fugaku continued.  
"So…what do you want me to do about it? Break them up?" Sasuke asked half-jokingly.  
"Not quite," Fugaku managed a slight chuckle, "Are you familiar with Uzumaki Karin?"  
And at that moment, Sasuke's stomach dropped, he felt sick. The red head had been infatuated with him when they were younger, of course he was familiar with her, she wouldn't leave him alone. And Sasuke knew exactly what was coming next, he felt like throwing up.  
"No," he spat out.  
"No? She's also in your grade, I'm sure you've seen her around, she has red hair and glasses, quite a unique look," Fugaku introduced, "she is Naruto's cousin and will inherit a large sum of the company…"  
"No, I know who she is," Sasuke spoke through gritted teeth, "And I know what you're proposing. But I refuse." At this point, Sasuke could feel himself trembling with rage.  
"Sasuke please, it's for the good of the family. We need to secure a bond with Uzumaki Corps or the Hyuuga will gain too much power."  
"No!" Sasuke slammed his hands against Fugaku's desk and pushed himself up. "You already did this to Itachi! You're not doing it to me too!"  
"Sasuke watch your tone," Fugaku warned.  
"Nii-san was happy with Izumi, and you made him break up with her! Just so you could marry him off to Inuzuka Hana and gain more shares in her parents' business!" Sasuke screamed. "You're not doing the same to me, not after…" he trailed off, thinking of the girl still sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was not about to let Fugaku ruin yet another relationship. And with that, Sasuke had stormed out of his father's office.

Sasuke was absolutely blind with fury, he just couldn't comprehend how his father could so easily marry off his sons to strangers. From what he understood, Itachi had a long term girlfriend, Izumi, unfortunately her father worked for Uchiha Enterprises. Fugaku wasn't pleased, a union between Itachi and Izumi wouldn't bring any benefits to the company, so he had arranged a political marriage between Itachi and Hana as soon as the opportunity arose.  
Sasuke barged into Itachi's room without bothering to knock, "Did you know about this?"  
Itachi looked up from his MacBook, and swivelled around on his black leather office chair to look at Sasuke, "Yeah."  
"And you didn't try to stop him?! You of all people should know how it feels to have your relationship pulled apart 'for the sake of the business'," Sasuke yelled.  
"Sasuke, I know how you feel. But you must go through with it, trust me, things will work themselves out," the older Uchiha tried to reason.  
"How could you sit there and be so damn calm about it?" Sasuke could feel the waves of anger rolling off his body.  
"Sasuke," Itachi stood up to look Sasuke straight in the eyes, "You need to take responsibility for the family. You will inherit fifty percent of the business once father retires, and you need to understand the type of responsibility that comes with. That's the difference between you and I, foolish ototo, you don't understand the sacrifices we need to make."  
Sasuke was at a loss for words, in his head he knew what Itachi was saying was true, but his heart broke just thinking about breaking the news to Sakura.

 **Author's Note:**

The drama begins! haha

Fun facts: Izumi is Itachi's girlfriend in the original manga/anime (she's the one who ate dango with him on the pier). She's also from the Uchiha clan, and I couldn't make her Itachi's fiancee, sorry to disappoint the ItaIzu shippers out there :P

I decided to make Itachi's fiancee Inuzuka Hana (she's Kiba's sister in the original anime), I read on the Naruto wiki that Hana and Itachi were in the same class and they're the same age, so I thought it would be perfect. Their engagement is strictly political, there's no feelings between the two of them.

Haha, how many of you were wondering when I would bring Karin into the picture? I thought it was perfect how she's from the Uzumaki clan, it ties into this whole rivalry between the three companies making her engagement to Sasuke actually make sense :P

Thank you to all those who left reviews! Please keep them coming, I love reading your comments :)

Next update in probably two days time :)

Thank you all for reading!


	11. Chapter 11 - Replacement

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 11 – Replacement**

"Ino…" Sakura's voice was barely a whisper, "Can I come stay with you for a few days?"  
"Sakura, what's wrong?" Ino could hear Sakura sobbing on the other end of the line, "I'll come pick you up right away."

* * *

 _Earlier that day_

Sakura had woken up that morning in pure bliss, she wasn't sure if it was the afterglow of what happened the night before or if she was just happy. But she couldn't wait to see Sasuke again. After taking a shower and slipping back into a fresh set of clothes she made her way across the hall to find Sasuke. She had to admit, waking up to an empty bed was a little disappointing, but she knew Mikoto, Fugaku and Itachi were coming home from Suna that day and he had probably slipped out to go greet them.  
She gently tapped her knuckles against the oak door, "Sasuke-kun, it's me."  
The door opened a crack and she smiled up at Sasuke, "I was thinking we could go grab breakfast together, or I guess lunch seeing as its already-"  
"Sakura," Sasuke sighed, "We can't do this anymore."  
"Wha-?" Sakura stood there in absolute confusion, her mind couldn't register the words coming out of Sasuke's mouth.  
Before she could respond, Sasuke had begun to close the door.  
"No!" She pushed the door ajar and stepped into his room, "What do you mean we can't do this anymore?!"  
Sasuke looked down, trying to avoid gazing into her fierce emerald eyes, "I mean we can't be together."  
Sakura felt like her world had just fallen apart, she didn't expect this from Sasuke, the way he looked into her eyes last night felt so genuine, she thought that he actually had feelings for her instead of using her for…for… She couldn't even finish the thought.  
She could feel hot tears threatening to escape, and the last thing she needed was for Sasuke to see her so weak. Without saying another word, she had fled to her room and dialled Ino's number.

* * *

Sasuke watched the hurt flash across Sakura's face. Before he could say anything else she had turned on her heel and ran out of his room. Sasuke felt defeated, he quietly closed the door behind him and slumped against it. How could he tell her that he was engaged to someone else? Right after the intimate night they had spent together. It was better this way, he thought. She would believe that this was a mutual break up, in time she would forget about him and move on, and a few years down the track she would be happy and he would be married to some girl he could never care about. Because he knew, he would always love her.

* * *

Sakura decided to stay with the Yamanaka's for the rest of her school year. She knew she wouldn't be able to face Sasuke every day without breaking down in tears at some point. She had rehashed her story to her blonde best friend and after promising to kick his ass, Ino had wrapped her in a big hug and just let her cry for the next hour. By the fourth day Ino barged into the guest room Sakura was staying in and threw a clean change of clothes at her.  
"That's it forehead, we're going out. We need to integrate you back into society, you've been moping for way too long. Yes, he's an asshole, but most guys are, so you need to get over it." She left no room for arguments.  
Not a minute later, Sakura heard a honk from outside. She peered out of the window to see Temari sitting in her silver Ferrari convertible with Hinata and TenTen waving in the backseat.  
The pinkette let out a groan, "I guess I don't have a choice."  
"No, you don't," Ino laughed.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the mall; the girls had told her they were going shopping for back to school essentials.  
Sakura groaned at the thought of going back to school, she hadn't seen _him_ in a week, ever since the break-up. And she was not looking forward to running into him in the halls.

Turns out, the girls' idea of 'back to school essentials' consisted of lots and lots of cosmetics, shoes and accessories.  
"You need to look your best when you go back to school Sakura," Ino said matter-of-factly as they carried their armful of shopping bags back to the car.  
"Yeah," TenTen called out from her left, "Show that asshole that you don't need him and that you're _not_ crying over him!"  
"But I am!" Sakura hit her palm against her forehead in defeat.  
"He doesn't need to know that," Hinata quietly piped up from behind.  
And for the first time in days, Sakura laughed.

* * *

Sasuke had been sitting in his car for the past 10 minutes. He had already arrived at school but he just couldn't find the courage to step out of the vehicle. His palms were sweaty and his throat felt dry, Sasuke knew he had English first period, and to his dread, Sakura was in the same class.  
"Get a grip," He muttered to himself. He knew exactly what he was doing- stalling, so he wouldn't have to see _her_.  
Finally, he stepped out of the vehicle, slamming the door a little harder than necessary, he made his way to his English class and took his usual seat. All eyes seemed to be on him.  
'So, the news had spread during the holiday huh?' he thought to himself.  
"I can't believe you did that to her, teme," Even Naruto couldn't keep the venom out of his tone.  
Sasuke looked down at his desk, knowing full well he deserved it, after all he broke her heart.

The moment he was most dreading finally came, he watched as Sakura walked in with fierce determination. She looked him dead in the eye and walked right past him. Her girlfriends flanked her on either side. Ino, Temari and TenTen giving him the iciest glares he could imagine, and even the shy Hyuuga girl shaking her head in disappointment at him. Sasuke just wanted to lock himself inside his locker and never come out.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around Sasuke could feel the stares burning through the back of his head. Even Kiba's dog had growled at him that morning. When he saw Sakura sitting with their usual group of friends at their lunch table, he couldn't bring himself to walk over. Instead he sighed and walked in the other direction.  
"Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke inwardly groaned, he knew that voice, "Come sit with us!"  
Uzumaki Karin was waving enthusiastically at him. Hesitantly, Sasuke made his way over to the redhead and her two friends Juugo and Suigetsu.  
'Well, if I'm going to have to marry her I should start somewhere,' he thought.

* * *

Sakura was feeling really proud of herself as she reapplied her lip gloss in the girls' bathroom after school. She had managed to keep her facade up all day and hadn't broken down at the sight of Sasuke. She checked her appearance in the mirror once again and exited the bathroom. The sight she was met with once outside rendered her speechless. She watched Sasuke's back as he walked towards the other end of the hall. And she felt her heart clench when she saw a red haired girl clinging onto his arm. She was talking to him animatedly, and looked up at him in admiration through her glasses. He nodded slightly, and in response she pecked a quick kiss against his cheek. Sakura felt all the walls she had built tumble down, hot tears welled up behind her eyes and she felt the heartbreak all over again. She had been replaced.

 **Author's Notes:**

Another chapter for you all!

If it seems like Karin and Sasuke's relationship was too sudden or out of nowhere, just remember that this chapter takes place a week after the last chapter. So I would assume Sasuke's parents would have already talked to Karin's parents about the engagement. And in turn they would have told Karin already :)

Honestly, I haven't been as motivated to update recently. The amount of views and reviews I've been receiving have declined a lot and I'm worried that everyone has stopped reading or grown tired of the story :P

So, next chapter probably in a week or so!

Please leave a review if you have time :)

Thank you all for reading!


	12. Chapter 12 - The Green Eyed Monster

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 12 – The Green Eyed Monster  
**  
Ino was worried, by the time they got back to the Yamanaka's seaside mansion that afternoon, Sakura was reduced to a sobbing mess again. She thought her pink haired friend was taking the break up well. That is, until she saw Uzumaki Karin hanging onto Sasuke's side like a blood sucking leech. By the next day Sakura seemed okay again, but Ino could tell it was all an act. She didn't smile, hardly ate, and just stared into emptiness a whole lot. She had missed cheer practice three days in a row and Ino was sure her grades were plummeting too. But at that point she didn't know what else she could do for her best friend.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, you wanted to see me?" Sakura peered in from the entrance of the principal's office.  
"Ah yes, come in," Tsunade looked up from her pile of paperwork, nodding at the empty seat across from her, "Sakura, it has come to my attention that your grades are dropping."  
Sakura didn't know how to respond, it was true, she hardly had any motivation to study at all for the past few weeks since her breakup with Sasuke.  
"I know things have been difficult for you recently," Sakura was mortified, even the principal knew about her disastrous love life? "But you _are_ a scholarship student and you need to keep your grades up in order to stay here," Tsunade continued in a gentle tone.  
"Hai, is there anything I can do? Some way of earning extra credit?" At this point she would have given anything to be able to get away from Sasuke, but getting her scholarship taken off her was not an option. She had worked so hard to get here, there were only a few weeks left until graduation and Sakura was determined to stick it out until the end.  
"Well, first of all I recommend quitting the cheer team, practice takes up too much of your time and I'm not sure if some of those girls are the right influence for you." Sakura stifled a giggle, she knew Tsunade was talking about Ino, "I want you to join the student council instead."  
Sakura nodded her understanding.

* * *

Sakura stepped into the classroom quietly, the student council meeting had already started. She took a seat in the back row and looked around. There were some familiar faces. The boy sitting to her right was Shino, she recalled, the quiet boy from her Maths class who always had a pair of circle lensed sunnies on. Shikamaru was also there she noted, and the boy speaking at the front seemed familiar too. She had seen him around Hinata a lot, they shared the same dark hair and light lilac eyes.

The scraping sound of chairs being pushed back and students standing up to leave indicated to Sakura that the meeting had adjourned. She picked up her books and started heading towards the door when the boy presenting earlier strode up to her.  
"You're new," he observed.  
"Yeah, Tsunade-sama recommended that I join for extra credit," the pinkette replied, "I'm Sakura by the way."  
"I'm Neji, nice to meet you," the boy replied as they both exited the classroom.  
"So, what do we usually do as the student council?" Sakura asked. Truthfully, she had no clue what this club was about and only joined for the extra credit.  
"We're sort of delegates for the principal, we represent the student body when meeting with other schools," Neji explained, "So we need people who are responsible and won't give the Academy a bad name. I mean, we can't have knuckleheads like Kiba and Naruto representing the school can we?" He let out a low chuckle.  
Sakura laughed along with him as they walked down the hallway. Their conversation flowed easily and to her surprise they had a lot in common and enjoyed a lot of the same things. And for the first time in weeks, she found her thoughts free of Sasuke and her unfortunate break up.  
"Well, I'll see you around Neji-san," She offered him a quick smile as she stopped by her locker to put her books away.

* * *

Sasuke was positively fuming. He was putting some books in his locker when he heard a familiar voice. He would know that voice anywhere. The Uchiha whipped around to see Sakura casually strolling down the hallway alongside Hinata's cousin. She was so caught up in her conversation that she didn't even notice him. He watched as she spoke energetically with the Hyuuga, covering her mouth as she laughed along at something he said. Sasuke couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his locker door and followed the pair until Sakura stopped by her own locker and waved goodbye to Neji.

* * *

"Why were you talking to Neji?" Sakura jumped a little, she hadn't noticed that the raven haired boy was standing behind her and his sudden outburst had startled her.  
Her eyes narrowed in anger, this was the first time they'd spoken since he broke her heart and _this_ was how he wanted to start?  
"That's none of your business," she turned around to continue putting her books away.  
Sasuke reached over from behind her and slammed her locker shut.  
"Stop playing coy with me Sakura."

She couldn't keep her anger in any longer, "You have absolutely no right to question who I'm talking to!" she turned around to face him and pushed his chest, "Especially since you've already replaced me with your new red haired girlfriend!".  
She covered her mouth as soon as she said it. 'Damn it Sakura, that last part wasn't meant to come out,' she cursed at herself inwardly.  
"She's not my girlfriend," Sasuke looked down at his feet.  
"Oh yeah? Then what is she? Your babysitter? Because she never seems to leave your side!" Sakura couldn't stop the verbal onslaught from coming out of her mouth.  
"It's…It's complicated," the Uchiha sighed.  
"Well for her sake, I hope you don't use her like you used me," the pinkette stormed off, leaving a speechless Sasuke standing in the hallway.

 **Author's Notes:**

A jealous Sasuke's always fun, right? :P haha

Please leave your thoughts in the reviews section if you have time! I love reading your reviews and it motivates me to update sooner :)

Also, we're halfway through the story now! The whole thing is 21 chapters plus an epilogue. So a huge thank you to everyone who's still here reading, thanks for sticking with me this whole time :P

Next chapter probably in a week or so :) This chapter's a bit short but the next one is longer.

Thank you all for reading!


	13. Chapter 13 - Moving On

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 13 – Moving On  
**  
For the next few weeks Sakura found herself actively involved in the student council, she hadn't expected to find it as interesting as she did. She guessed a part of that was due to the fact that Neji was always there, and she enjoyed being around him. She wasn't exactly interested in starting a relationship with him, but it felt good to be around someone new. Hanging out with Neji wasn't like hanging out with Ino or Naruto. There were no old memories that would constantly resurface in her mind, like watching the fireworks with Sasuke at Ino's beach house, or the all too familiar times where Sasuke would call Naruto a dobe and the pair would end up in a heated argument. With Neji, she had found a clean slate, a fresh start.

It was three weeks after she first joined the student council when it happened.  
"Sakura," Neji called out to the pinkette.  
"Ohayo, Neji, how are you?" she beamed at him in reply.  
"I was actually wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight."  
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, "Um, I…I'm not sure if that's a good idea, I mean, you've probably heard…" she trailed off. She wasn't ready to get back into the dating game yet.  
"I'm aware of your recent break up with Sasuke," Neji cut straight to the point, "but I want you to know, I don't care, please at least think about it." Gently reaching over, he tucked a loose strand of rosette coloured hair behind Sakura's ear and offered her a smile before swiftly walking away.

Sakura walked the rest of the way to class still dazed about what happened. She didn't see that coming from Neji, but maybe that was because he always had his emotions under strict control.  
"Sorry," she mumbled as she accidentally walked straight into someone's back.  
"You should be," Sakura finally registered who she had walked into, Karin was sneering down at her, her amber eyes looking Sakura up and down from behind her lenses, "Oh if it isn't little Sakura."  
"Excuse me?" Sakura was at a loss for words, how arrogant was this girl?  
"You're excused," the red head smirked, placing her hands against her voluptuous hips, "do you even know who I am?"  
The pinkette's mouth fell open in shock. Sakura could see why Sasuke would find her attractive, she had vibrant hair and womanly curves, something that Sakura lacked, but her attitude was appalling.  
"You're Karin," Sakura rolled her eyes.  
"Yes, I'm Karin. Sasuke-kun's _fiancée,_ " she dragged that last word out with particular emphasis.  
For a minute Sakura just stood there unable to comprehend what she had heard. Sasuke's engaged? He's _marrying_ her? Time felt like it had stopped and Sakura couldn't think of anything intelligent to say back to Karin. She could just feel her facade crumbling again.  
"Oh…" she managed meekly, trying to conceal the hurt in her voice.

"Congratulations! Let's see your ring!" Sakura was snapped back to reality when she recognized her best friend's voice.  
Karin was completely taken aback, she stood there sputtering, trying to think of a coherent reply as Ino sauntered up from behind where Sakura stood. She had heard everything the Uzumaki had said.  
"Oh that's right, you don't have one," Ino continued, putting herself between Sakura and the red head, "Don't flatter yourself honey, you're nothing but trading stock. Like cattle that the Uchiha's purchased in order to gain favour with the Uzumaki company." The blonde casually shrugged, growing up in the rich confines of Konoha Academy, she was acutely aware of all the political marriages that happen in this town.  
Taking Sakura's hand, the Yamanaka lead her away from the bespectacled girl, leaving Karin fuming in the hallway. For the second time that semester, Ino had saved her, and she couldn't be more grateful.

* * *

It all made sense to Sakura now, after what Ino said. Sasuke was trapped in a political engagement. It made sense in her head, Sasuke had to do what was best for his family, and she couldn't hold that against him. But it still hurt to think about it.  
'Things would have never worked out between us anyway,' Sakura sighed to herself, 'we come from two different worlds.' As she sat by the windowsill she grabbed her phone and punched in a number.  
"Hey Neji," She spoke as soon as the line stopped ringing, "So…I was wondering what time you'll pick me up for dinner tonight."  
It was time to move on, she decided.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he scrolled through his phone again. Fugaku had forced him to take his 'fiancée' out that night in hopes that they would 'get to know each other', which is how he landed himself in the Akimichi 5-star restaurant, wishing that Karin would eat faster so he could get this 'date' over and done with.  
He heard the door open in the background and a bell ring to signal the arrival of a new patron.  
"Welcome Hyuuga-san, Haruno-san, this way please." Sasuke's head snapped up at the sound her name. His heart skipped a beat as he watched her approaching his table. She looked more beautiful than ever in a little black dress accessorised with gold shoes and jewellery. He just couldn't look away, he watched the way she elegantly walked over to a table a few meters away from his own, and saw her eyes widen fractionally when she saw him. She quickly turned away and returned her attention back to the Hyuuga across from her.

To say dinner was agonizing would be an understatement, Sasuke couldn't keep his eyes off the pinkette the whole night. When Karin noticed who had walked in, she had scoffed and resumed to enthusiastically tell Sasuke about the time she caught Suigetsu peeking in the girls' bathroom and how she broke his nose for it. Sasuke 'hn-ed' and 'ah-ed', hoping she would shut up, to no avail. His brows furrowed in frustration as he watched Sakura throw her head back in laughter at something the Hyuuga said. When he finally saw Neji tuck a few hundred dollar notes in the bill folder indicating that they had finished their meal, Sasuke hastily waved a waiter over.  
"Bill please," he said without taking his eyes off the pair. He watched as Neji gave Sakura his coat and led her out of the restaurant.  
"But Sasuke-kun! I'm not done eating yet!" The girl across from him whined.

Sasuke practically grabbed Karin by the elbow and dragged her out of the restaurant. Eyes searching frantically for the pink haired girl and her date. He finally spotted her stepping into Neji's Bentley as he held the door open for her.  
"Taxi!" He quickly waved at an approaching cab, opening the passenger side door he ushered Karin in.  
"Sasuke-kun! What are you doing? We don't need a taxi, we drove here!" She shrieked.  
"Make sure you get her home," Sasuke spoke to the driver through the window, he proceeded to hand him few fifties before he sprinted to his car.  
He could hear Karin yelling profanities as the taxi took off down the road.

* * *

Sasuke tailed the white Bentley all the way to the Yamanaka's beach house.  
'Hn, I should have figured that's where she was staying,' Sasuke thought to himself.  
He watched in the shadows as Neji dropped his date off, as soon as the Hyuuga drove away, Sasuke stepped out of his car and strode straight up to the pinkette. She was fumbling around with a pair of spare house keys that Ino had given her when Sasuke grabbed her by the elbow and flung her around to face him.

"Why are you doing this?" Sasuke's voice had never carried so much emotion before.  
"Sasuke? What are you doing here? I should be asking you that!" she spoke in a hushed tone. Sasuke guessed it was because she didn't want the Yamanaka girl to find out, or news of this would probably spread all over Konoha by tomorrow morning.  
"Are you doing this just to get back at me?" Sasuke's voice carried a hint of hurt in it that Sakura had never heard before.  
"What?! No!" Sakura's voice rose a little.  
"How could you date a Hyuuga?!"  
Now Sakura was completely confused, and angry, "What does that have to do with anything? You have no right to judge who I date! You're _engaged_ , to _Karin_!" She spat out the words angrily.  
Sasuke blinked, unable to think of a rational response to her accusations, because technically, it was true, "my relationship with Karin is strictly political, I have no choice! But you're willingly dating our family's rival!" his hand unconsciously tightened around the girl's arm.  
"What...rival? What are you talking about?" she wore a look of confusion on her face.  
"Never mind," Sasuke realized he had already said too much, he finally let go of the girl's elbow and walked dejectedly back to his car.  
"Wait! Sasuke, wait!" Sakura ran after him, but the heartbroken Uchiha had already sped off into the distance.

 **Author's Notes:** Here's another chapter for you all! I'm blown away by the number of reviews I received for the last chapter, keep them coming guys :) Reading your reviews makes me so happy!

If you're missing the SasuSaku interaction, it'll be back in the next chapter, so look forward to it :P

Thank you all for reading, next chapter in a week or so :)


	14. Chapter 14 - One Last Dance

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 14 – One Last Dance  
**  
"So, are we correct in guessing that Neji will be escorting you to the graduation ball?" Ino asked as she twirled around in front of the mirror.  
The girls had been in the same boutique for the past three hours waiting for Ino to pick out an evening gown. Sakura had no idea what a graduation ball was, at her old rundown school she used to go to they would hold a small graduation ceremony in the school's courtyard and maybe have a few snacks and drinks laid out for the guests. But apparently Konoha Academy goes all out and booked an impressive ball room to throw a huge ceremony for the graduating class.  
"Actually, no, I'm going by myself," Sakura spoke with confidence.  
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt four pairs of eyes on her. TenTen, Hinata and Temari all looked at her like she was crazy. Ino's jaw almost hit the floor.  
"What?!" Ino screamed melodramatically, "There's no way we're letting you go by yourself! Girls, I'm making it our first priority to find Sakura a date."  
"No, I'd rather go by myself actually, I've decided to stay away from boys for a while," the pinkette sighed.  
"What happened with Neji nii-san?" Hinata asked quietly.  
"Oh, your cousin was a sweetheart, but after our date the other night we both realized it wouldn't work out, my heart wasn't really in it," she sighed, truthfully, she knew she wasn't over Sasuke.

Finally, after sampling rows and rows of dresses, Ino settled for a gold, figure hugging gown. It had a sweetheart neckline and fanned outwards at the knees in a mermaid style. Sakura rolled her eyes jokingly, it was perfect for her, with that dress she would definitely be the centre of attention the entire night. Hinata ended up buying a black gown with lace detailing at the bottom, it was modest and didn't show too much skin, and Sakura thought the black brought out the light lilac of her eyes perfectly. Temari's gown was a simple navy blue one with a deep V neckline, and TenTen's dress was the simplest of them all: plain, red and strapless. Sakura smiled at her friends, she had no doubt that they would look absolutely amazing in their dresses. As for herself, Sakura was planning to just dig out an old dress from her closet. Unlike her friends, she didn't have a spare three-grand to spend on a dress that would end up collecting dust in the back of her closet after one wear.

"I can't believe this is it," TenTen sighed, "next year we're all going to go our separate ways."  
They had finally finished shopping and settled down at the local cafe, chatting about non-sense and enjoying their last few days of high school together.  
"Oh stop being so dramatic," Temari laughed at her, "We're all going to be at Konoha Private College next year anyway. It's going to be like nothing's changed."  
"I'll see all you bitches at college next year!" Ino laughed, holding up her cappuccino in celebration. The three other girls followed suit and raised their coffee cups, knocking it against Ino's, laughter filled the small cafe.  
Sakura looked down at her lap, she was happy for her friends but she had to come to terms with the fact that she would probably never see them again. After graduation, she'd have to move back home and apply for a second rate college that her parents could actually afford. She didn't have many friends back home either, she had always preferred sticking to herself or having her face buried in a book.  
As if sensing her discomfort, Hinata quietly nudged Ino. The laughter quickly died down and all eyes were on her.  
"We'll definitely keep in touch Sakura," Hinata touched the girl's shoulder tentatively.  
"Can't you like, just get a scholarship for K.P.C?" Ino's eyes looked down in sadness.  
"K.P.C doesn't offer scholarships," Sakura forced a smile, "But don't worry, I'll text you every single day." She tried her best to sound happy.

* * *

The last few days of high school flew by in a daze. There were tears, celebrations and endless hugs. Sakura relished the last few days she had with her friends, spending as much time as she could with them. She didn't see Sasuke around much after her encounter with him at Ino's door step, his words to her still echoed in her mind. She was still confused about what he had meant about her dating his family's rival, she wanted to go up to him and ask him, but she wanted to end her school year on a high note, and didn't want to get into another argument with him. It was best to just let it go, she thought.

* * *

The day of graduation finally arrived and Sakura stared in the mirror, applying a final coat of mascara, she looked at her reflection and was happy with the result. She had opted to do her own hair and make-up while the other girls had made appointments to get everything professionally done. She opened her closet to dig around for her old plain white maxi dress she knew she had stored somewhere in the back, when someone kicked open the door to her room.  
"What the hell Ino!" she gasped, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"  
"You are _not_ going to the ball in that dress," Ino took one look at dress Sakura was holding and scrunched her nose in disgust, she swiftly threw a package at the pinkette.  
Sakura stared stupidly at the little white box Ino had pegged at her.  
"Well, open it!" The Yamanaka ordered.  
Sakura gently pulled the bow off, and opened the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. Slowly, she lifted it out, it was probably the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. Sakura stared in awe as the silver dress sparkled under the ceiling lights, it was a halter neck with a plunging back and a high slit in the side to show off her legs. Ino knew her too well, she laughed, she had picked just the right dress to show off her assets while not clashing with her pink hair.  
"It's beautiful," Sakura sighed, "Thank you, Ino."

* * *

"Wow," Sakura gasped to no one in particular, "this is amazing."  
She walked into the massive ball room, dining tables littered the back of the hall while the front was reserved for dancing, the ceilings were decorated with crystal chandeliers and giant pillars lined the walls. A set of stairs spiralled upwards to meet the balcony on the second storey where people mingled and watched the dance floor below.  
She walked over to her designated table, Ino sat next to her now-official boyfriend Sai, fixing up his bowtie. To their left Naruto sat flipping through the menu, complaining to a giggling Hinata about the disappointing meal choices, Sakura heard him mutter something about 'no ramen'. Next to them, Temari sat quietly, sipping champagne while Shikamaru threw an arm lazily across the back of her chair.

"Hey forehead!" Ino pulled out the chair next to her, "I knew you would look amazing in that dress!"  
"Thanks pig, you're looking pretty amazing yourself," Sakura laughed as she sat down.  
"Hi ugly," Sai smiled from next to his girlfriend.  
Ino had found it particularly hilarious when her boyfriend adopted the nickname for Sakura, the pinkette had definitely been less than pleased about the nickname, but she grew accustomed to it after a while. After swiftly punching Sai in the arm and exchanging hello's with the rest of the table Sakura's eyes looked around the hall, taking everything in. She let out a silent breath she didn't even know she was holding, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or disappointed. On the one hand, she wanted to see him one last time before saying goodbye, after all, after tonight everyone would be officially graduated and Sakura planned to leave as soon as possible before growing more attached to her life here. But on the other hand, she knew seeing him would hurt, and she wanted to leave Konoha Academy with a smile rather than in tears.  
"Come on everyone! Let's go dance while we still have our youth!" Sakura's thoughts were interrupted when Lee ran up to their table with a laughing TenTen in tow.  
"Alright!" Naruto jumped up and pulled Hinata to her feet. Ino took Sai's hand in one and Sakura's in the other, and one by one, the whole table made their way to the dance floor.

* * *

"Karin can you hurry up?" Sasuke was parked outside the convention hall, to say he was irritated would be an understatement.  
Fugaku had contacted Karin's parents beforehand to arrange for Sasuke to escort her to the ball. When he broke the news to Sasuke, the Uchiha had been absolutely outraged, he wasn't planning on going to the ball at all, and now he was forced to escort Karin.  
"Sasuke-kun," the redhead whined, "I want to make sure I look my absolute best when we walk in together!" she continued using Sasuke's rear view mirror to apply her bright red lipstick.  
"Besides, why are you in such a hurry for anyway? You don't even like social events," she put her lipstick away and pulled out a mascara.  
Sasuke grunted in response, secretly, he knew why he was in a hurry, he wanted to see _her_. Even if he was forced to stay next to Karin the whole night, he knew he would be watching her the whole time.

"I'm going in first," Sasuke spoke monotonously.  
Before Karin could object he had stepped out of the car and locked the doors. Making his way up the stairs and into the grand entrance, he scanned the ball room for the pinkette. He walked further into the hall, pushing past all the girls who stopped by in hopes of asking him to a dance. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widened when he finally found her. She was in the centre of the dancefloor laughing and dancing to the beat with her friends surrounding her. Sasuke couldn't find the words to describe how beautiful she looked to him, everyone around her faded into the background in his eyes. He could only focus on her, the way she threw her head back in laughter and twirled around to the music, her pink hair was curled for a change and styled to the side, and the glittering gown she wore stuck to her curves and emphasized her best features. He wanted to just walk right up to her and seize her pink lips in his right there and then.

He stood there in the distance, watching until the upbeat music came to a stop and was replaced by a slower tune. His heart clenched as he watched all the couples break off on their own. Naruto pulled Hinata in by the waist and started swaying to the slow song. Shikamaru led his girlfriend away to dance in their own little corner while Ino grabbed Sai's hands and put them on her waist as she taught him how to waltz. Even Lee had dramatically bowed to TenTen as he kissed her hand and spun her around to dance.

* * *

Sakura looked around at all her friends and smiled sadly. They looked so happy together, and she was genuinely happy for them, but she couldn't keep the feeling of loneliness away. She sighed and decided to make her way back to her table, she really needed a drink, preferably something alcoholic to drown her emotions away. She'd barely taken two steps towards her table when she felt someone's hand around her wrist, jerking her back towards the dancefloor. Before she could react, the stranger had pulled her in against his chest, his arms wound around her waist pulling her in. She squirmed against the man's body trying to free herself, but he only tightened his grasp.  
"Dance with me, Sakura," Sakura's eyes widened in panic, she knew that voice. She froze in her spot, letting him hold her as he swayed their bodies to the tune.  
"Sasuke-kun…" she breathed.

 **Author's Note:**

Hope you all enjoyed the new update, this one was originally two chapters but I decided to join them together after a lot of you requested longer chapters. Sorry, I realized that I promised SasuSaku interaction in the last Author's Note but I noticed that there wasn't actually much interaction between the two of them in this chapter. But there's more in the next chapter I swear :P

Please leave a review if you have time! Getting a new review notification really makes my day :)

Next chapter in a week or so! Or earlier if I'm feeling extra motivated :P

Thank you all for reading!


	15. Chapter 15 - Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 15 – Goodbye**

Sakura felt like time had frozen. For what felt like forever, all she could feel was Sasuke holding her

close, the two of them swaying gently to the soft music. She knew the rational thing to do was to push him away, after tonight, she would never see him again and this would just make her departure so much harder. But she couldn't move, she wanted to cherish this moment, possibly her last moment with him. She didn't want to say anything, she didn't want to think, she just wanted to relish in these few minutes they shared.

Wrapping her arms around the nape of his neck, she inhaled Sasuke's scent. She would miss this.  
"Sakura, I…"  
"Shh, Sasuke-kun, don't," she didn't want words to ruin the moment.  
"Sakura, listen, I never wanted any of this to happen," Sasuke felt like he needed to get this off his chest. He needed to come clean before he loses the chance.  
"It's okay, I understand, you're with Karin now, and I don't hold that against you," she could feel tears prickling the back of her eyes.  
"No. That's what you _don't_ understand," His tone came out a bit harsher than he wanted, he let go of her waist and held her by the shoulders in front of him, "I don't want to be with Karin, I never did."  
Sakura could feel her heart beating in overdrive, his onyx orbs looked like they were staring right into her soul.  
Looking her dead in the eyes, he spoke, "Sakura I never stopped loving you."

* * *

Sakura stood there, frozen, unable to move. Did she just imagine the words that came out of Sasuke's mouth? She wanted to say it back, she wanted to cry on his shoulder and tell him that she never stopped loving him too and that it killed her to be away from him.  
"Sasuke I…I never stopped loving-"  
"Sasuke-kun! There you are!" She was crudely brought back to reality at the sound of Karin's voice approaching.  
The Uchiha cursed under his breath.  
"I've been looking everywhere for you," she purred as she latched herself onto Sasuke's arm, "If you'll excuse us Sakura, my fiancé owes me a dance."

* * *

Sasuke wanted to punch something. He was absolutely furious, why did the redhead have to interrupt at this time?  
"Of course," he heard Sakura say dejectedly, "Goodbye Sasuke."  
She locked eyes with him one last time before turning away. Sasuke tried to grab her hand, he wanted to tell her to stay, but she was too fast, she had fled across the hall already.  
"Sasuke-kun let's go dance," Karin whined.  
"Karin, there's something I need to do," Sasuke shook her grip off and started in the direction the pinkette fled.  
"Where are you going Sasuke?" he could hear Karin yelling after him as he quickened his pace.

By the time he reached the exit, Sakura was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke's onyx eyes frantically scanned the area, he couldn't find her anywhere, she had most likely left the premises already. The frustrated Uchiha wasted no time and hopped right into his car, driving off in the dark.

* * *

Sakura tried to keep her tears at bay as she ran away from the pair, but she couldn't help it any longer and felt hot tears stream down her face. She ran as fast as she could, it suddenly felt too hot and she needed air.  
She didn't stop until she was outside. She waved at an approaching taxi and quickly climbed in, she knew exactly what she needed to do. Staying here to say goodbye to her friends would be too difficult, leaving Sasuke behind had proved that. She could feel her heartbreak as she uttered those two words, 'Goodbye Sasuke.' She couldn't re-live that again with Ino, or Naruto or anyone else.

* * *

Sasuke stepped on the accelerator. He was dangerously close to getting a speeding fine if he pushed it any further but he didn't care. He knew what he had to do. Finally arriving at his destination, he stopped haphazardly across two parking spots, not bothering to straighten up his park, he slammed the drivers' door shut and stormed straight into the revolving doors of Uchiha Enterprises.  
The receptionist didn't move to stop the young Uchiha as he strode right past the her, straight towards the 'staff only' lift.  
As soon as the doors opened up, Sasuke swiftly stepped in and hit the button to take him to the top floor. His mind was set and there would be no going back now.

* * *

"I need to speak to my father," Sasuke stopped outside Fugaku's office and spoke firmly to the secretary sitting at a desk outside.  
"I'm sorry sir but Uchiha-sama has asked not to be disturbed this afternoon."  
Sasuke disregarded her words and pushed his way into his father's office.  
Fugaku looked up from the pile of paperwork on his desk, "Sasuke, what are you doing here so late? You should be escorting your fiancée at the graduation ball."  
"No," Sasuke didn't bother taking a seat, he stood his ground from the other side of Fugaku's desk and spoke, "She's not my fiancée, I'm annulling the engagement."  
Fugaku scoffed and continued reading the document in front of him, "you can't do that, as long as you're inheriting fifty percent of this company from me you will listen and do what's best for the family."  
"No, I refuse," Sasuke placed his palms against his father's desk and looked him dead in the eyes.  
"Why couldn't you be more like your brother and just accept the engagement," Fugaku muttered to himself.  
"If inheriting the company means I have to marry someone I know I'll never love, then I don't want it. Give it all to Itachi, I don't want fifty percent, I don't want any of it," on the inside Sasuke was fuming, but he spoke in a calm collected tone, this was his final decision, and his father couldn't control him now.

 **Author's Note:**

Hope you all had a great Christmas! Here's another chapter for you all. This one's a bit short so I plan to make it up to you guys by uploading the next chapter soon :)

Sasuke finally stood up to Fugaku and annulled the engagement! Will they finally be able to be together again in the next chapter? :P You'll find out soon! :)

Thank you to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter! :) Please keep them coming so I know what you guys are thinking!

Thank you all for reading 3


	16. Chapter 16 - Too Little Too Late

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto sensei :P

 **Chapter 16 – Too Little Too Late  
**  
After his confrontation with his father, Sasuke stormed out of Uchiha Enterprises and took off down the road. It was already midnight by the time he left his father's company but he didn't care, he had one more destination tonight: The Yamanaka beach house.

* * *

Sakura gently placed the silver dress Ino bought for her back in its original box. She had already changed back into a pair of her own clothes and wiped off all the make-up from earlier tonight. Throwing the last few items into her suitcase, she zipped it up and got ready to go. There was one last thing she wanted to do, she sat down at her desk, pulled out a notepad and started writing.  
A loud knock at her door broke her concentration. Sighing, the pinkette stood up and walked towards the entrance of her room. She really wanted to skip town before anyone noticed or she would be forced to have an emotional goodbye and she really didn't want that.  
Opening the door a crack Sakura gasped.

"Ino, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be at the ball?"  
"I noticed you were missing and got worried," her blonde best friend replied. Her blue eyes landed on the packed suitcase sitting next to the bed, "You're leaving? Without saying goodbye?"  
Sakura flinched at the sadness in her friend's voice, "I was going to leave you a letter," she held up the notepad still in her hand.  
"But, I guess since you're here there's no need," Sakura laughed awkwardly, "Thank you for everything Ino," she looked down at her feet, unable to meet the Yamanaka's eyes. "You've been the best friend I always wished for, and I'm going to miss you like crazy…" Sakura's voice broke, she couldn't continue anymore.  
"Shut up forehead," Ino laughed with tears in her eyes, "I'm going to blow up your phone with texts and calls every single day, you hear?" And she pulled the pinkette in for one last hug.

* * *

Sasuke frantically pulled up at the Yamanaka's driveway. He ran up the steps to the entrance of the beach house and didn't hesitate to pound his fist against the door. His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest. He couldn't shake off the excited feeling, he couldn't wait to have Sakura in his arms and tell her that he was hers and no one else's.  
He knocked again, not caring if he would wake anyone up at this hour. Finally, after what seemed like forever he heard light footsteps approaching the door. His heart beat sped up as he watched the petite silhouette approaching him from the other side of the translucent glass and finally pull open the door.

"Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?"  
Sasuke stared back at Ino in disappointment, "Where's Sakura? I need to talk to her."  
Ino frowned, "You just missed her, she left town already."  
For what felt like forever, the pair stood there in silence. Sasuke felt like his whole world had just fallen apart, he had just missed her. He couldn't believe it. The Uchiha felt like a fool, he should have acted sooner.  
'You're too late, you should have never let her go,' he inwardly cursed himself. If it wasn't for the Yamanaka watching him, he swears he would have collapsed into a heap right there at her door step and stayed there until the morning.  
'No,' he suddenly snapped out of his daze, 'you're not too late, go after her.'  
He pulled out his cell phone, ready to dial the pinkette's number when Ino spoke up, "Sasuke, before you do anything, I think you should read this," she handed him a folded up piece of paper, "she wrote you a letter."

* * *

'Dear Sasuke,

By the time you read this I would have left for home already. Thank you for everything you've done for me in this past year. We've managed to make some incredible memories together during my time here and I'll cherish them forever.

Anyways, what I really want to say is, that I'm happy for you. You've got a great life here with some amazing friends around you. All I ask is you don't come looking for me, don't let the memory of me hold you back from your bright future. In exchange, I promise I'll do the same and move on with my life too.

I wish we could have had a happily ever after but the truth is we live in completely different worlds. I'm sorry I had to say goodbye this way, I couldn't face you one last time. Just know that I'll always remember you, Sasuke.

Love, Sakura.'

* * *

Sasuke sat in his room, reading and re-reading the letter over and over again. He could feel traitorous tears threatening to escape his eyes but he willed himself not to cry. It had been a few weeks since Sakura left and Sasuke had locked himself in his room refusing to come outside. Mikoto and Itachi's concerns for him were growing each day. He refused to leave his room for anything. Fugaku was still visibly angry with his younger son, but he could also tell how miserable he was and gave him the space he needed. He knew all his friends were enjoying the long Christmas break before university started but he couldn't bring himself to celebrate. Thoughts of the pinkette flooded his head day and night and he just couldn't shake the memories away.

* * *

"Hey Ino!" Sakura was ecstatic when Ino had held up her end of the promise and almost blew up her phone with daily calls.  
"Forehead! How's it going in the land of the less privileged?" Her friend laughed jokingly on the other end of the line.  
"Ha-Ha, very funny pig," Sakura rolled her eyes even though she knew her friend wouldn't be able to see, "Things are going good, I'm interning at a hospital to gain some experience over the holiday, and I've applied for a few uni's near my house. What about on your end?"  
She could hear Ino flopping onto her bed, "Yeah it's good, I'm doing some modelling as a side job for now before uni starts. Okay, enough small talk, let's talk boys! Have you met anyone yet?" Ino quickly changed the subject to something she was more interested in.  
Sakura laughed into the phone, "Typical Ino, typical. Well, I went out on a few dates with a guy, Morio, we met when he was getting treated at the hospital I'm interning at, but it was a short lived affair."  
"What?! Why? Is he cute? What happened?" Ino wanted _all_ the details.  
"He was cute, and super sweet but…" Sakura trailed off.  
Ino didn't push the subject any further, she knew why it didn't work out, Sakura's heart still belonged to Sasuke.  
"Anyways…how is everyone else, how is _he_?" Sakura asked hesitantly.  
Ino sighed, "truthfully, I haven't seen him around since that night you left, word on the street is he's been cooped up in his room all day. Maybe you should call him Sakura, I don't think he's coping too well."  
"I can't Ino, you know I'll never get over him if we keep in touch."  
"Sakura…You're never going to get over him anyway…" Ino countered back.  
As much as she hated to admit it, she knew her friend was right.

 **Author's Note:**

The end.

Haha, just kidding! You know I wouldn't let the story end without SasuSaku living happily ever after :P

I've had zero motivation and confidence to upload recently :( There's only a couple chapters left until the end of the story and I'm getting pretty tempted to upload the last few chapters all at once to wrap it up once and for all.

Fun fact: Morio is the Iwa ninja who confessed to Sakura in the medical tent during the Fourth Shinobi World War :) I always thought he was super sweet and would have loved to see Sasuke's reaction had he found out that Morio confessed to Sakura, so I just had to mention him in my story.

Thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17 - Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto Sensei :P

 **Chapter 17 - Reunion**

Sasuke threw his fist at the punching bag one last time before wiping his forehead with a towel and taking a long swig from his water bottle. Recently, he'd been spending a lot of time at their personal gym, he found that working out was a great way to vent out his anger a little. He had so much pent up frustration inside his system that Mikoto said it wasn't healthy.

"Sasuke, if you don't hurry up you're going to be late," Sasuke looked up to see Itachi leaning against the doorway of the gym.  
Choosing to ignore his brother, Sasuke dropped his towel on the floor and continued to throw punches at the punching bag. Admittedly, he was somewhat frustrated at Itachi. He knew it wasn't actually Itachi's fault, but a part of him always felt that if Itachi hadn't taken his arranged engagement with Hana so well then Fugaku never would have forced Karin onto himself.  
'And _she_ might still be here,' Sasuke thought scornfully, continuing to throw punch after punch.  
Out of nowhere, Itachi's hand shot out and grabbed Sasuke's fist mid jab. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed his older brother approaching him.

"Sasuke, go take a shower and get ready for school. You can't be late for the first day of college," Itachi's eyes never strayed from his as he spoke.  
"Hn. What if I said I don't want to go?" Sasuke jerked his fist out of Itachi's grasp.  
"You might not want to, but you need to. You still have a life to live Sasuke," Itachi spoke calmly.  
Scoffing at his older brother, the younger Uchiha picked up the towel, threw it over his shoulder and headed off towards the shower.  
"Sasuke," Itachi called out after him.  
Sasuke slowly turned around to face him, raising an eyebrow in question.  
Itachi chuckled at his younger brother's expression, slowly raising his hand he gently tapped Sasuke on the forehead.  
Sasuke stood there in surprise, the action wasn't unfamiliar to him, Sasuke knew this was Itachi's way of showing affection, he had always done it to him when they were little.  
Itachi laughed as Sasuke unconsciously brought a hand up to touch the spot on his forehead that had been prodded, "Trust me Sasuke, you need to be there today."

* * *

Sasuke scowled as he walked along the halls of Konoha Private College. He thought that it was eerily similar to Konoha Academy. Not only were the furnishings and decor exactly the same, the design of the building was also very alike, only larger. He cursed whoever decided to use the same designer for K.P.C and K.A. Wherever he looked, he was plagued with memories of a pink haired girl laughing alongside him as he walked her to class. 

He noticed that many of his classmates from Konoha Academy were also here. He saw Naruto, Hinata, Ino, and Shikamaru walking along the hall. When the Uchiha walked past, all four of them stopped to watch him, it was like they had seen a ghost.  
'Hn, I guess that's what happens when you don't leave the house for three months,' Sasuke kept his head down and continued walking. He decided it would be best to get to class before running into anyone he knew.

There were a lot more people at K.P.C compared to high school, he thought, the hallways were a lot more crowded, and almost impossible to navigate through. Sasuke scowled, he hated crowds. He pushed through the horde of bodies, trying to get to his destination.

He looked down at his timetable to check what room he was in. Room 23, all the way across on the other end of campus.  
'Great,' he thought to himself. He was going to be late on the first day.  
When he looked up again he froze in his spot. He could have sworn he saw a flash of pink at the end of the hall.  
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he laughed bitterly at himself 'you're delusional, she's gone.'  
But he couldn't stop seeing it, the back of a pastel pink head, bobbing up and down as it walked down the hallway. Sasuke decided either he was crazy, or…or she was really back.  
He didn't think twice, dropping the textbooks he was holding onto the floor he pushed as hard as he could through the crowd.  
He could hear people cursing at him as he rudely shoved bodies out of his way but he didn't care. He had lost her once before, he was not about let it happen again.  
"Sakura…" he whispered to himself.

Sasuke watched as she got further and further away, he felt like he was running on the spot, unable to grasp her. He panicked as the pink haired girl rounded a corner and the familiar shade of coral tresses disappeared from his line of sight. He couldn't lose sight of her again, not when she was just within his reach.  
"Get out of my way!" the students around him seemed to hear the panic in his voice. Most of them moved to the side for him, while he pushed past the others.  
He quickly followed after her and rounded the same corner he had saw her disappear in. His body froze when he finally caught up, he felt like he needed to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.  
There she was, standing in front of him, reading the class schedule she held in her hands. His eyes slowly took in every inch of her, her dainty hands holding the piece of paper, her slender neck, the rose coloured tresses that had been long engraved into his memories, and finally her sparkling emerald eyes.  
He took a step towards her, and finally found the voice to call out to her, "Sakura…"

* * *

 _Seven Days Ago_

It had been three months since Sakura left, and Itachi couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand to watch his ototo spiral into depression. He knew he had to do something about it now. He would sacrifice anything to make his little brother happy again. Even if his plan would destroy his relationship with his father, even if his reputation would be damaged in the process, he didn't care. He couldn't stand back and watch the person he loved most suffer.  
'I'm going to fix this,' he thought, as he grabbed the keys to his Aston Marten and drove off.

* * *

"Ah, Itachi, you requested an audience with me?"  
"Yes, Hiruzen-sama," Itachi replied respectfully as he stepped into the dean's office.  
"What can I do for you, Itachi?" The dean of Konoha Private College chuckled, he was an old frail looking man who had been in charge of the college for many years.  
"Actually Hiruzen-sama, I would like to withdraw my enrolment."  
"What?" The old man coughed a little, dropping his cigar into the bin, "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to know why. The college could use a few more star students like yourself."  
"It's a personal issue," Itachi spoke carefully.  
"Ah, I see," Hiruzen nodded, not wanting to push the subject, "Well, let's discuss the formalities then," he continued, pulling out Itachi's file from a cabinet. "We can transfer all your credits to a new university of your choice so you can continue your study elsewhere."  
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," Itachi bowed his head once in acknowledgement.  
"Ah, as for your school fees," The old dean scanned through Itachi's files, "your parents paid for everything upfront so you still have three years' worth of prepaid enrolment here. I'll need your father's bank details to transfer the money back to him."  
"That won't be necessary either," Itachi spoke, "My father makes far too much money to be concerned over the reimbursement of my school fees."  
"Oh?" The headmaster stroked his beard thoughtfully, waiting for him to continue.  
"Give my spot in the college to someone else, the school fees are already paid for, so that shouldn't be a problem, right?"  
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, the old man was as perceptive as ever, "Do you have anyone in mind?"  
"Yes, I do," Itachi spoke with confidence, "Haruno Sakura."

 **Author's Note:**  
Sorry for taking so long to update the story. But I have a treat for you guys! Right after I upload this chapter I'll be uploading chapters 18, 19 and 20 all at once. I feel like the story is reaching an end and instead of making you guys wait every week for a new chapter and dragging it out I decided to upload the rest of it all at once to give it a clean finish.

This chapter is for you Itachi fans :) Since the beginning of the story I've always planned for Itachi to give up his position at Konoha College so Sasuke could be with Sakura again. I just think it's in his character to sacrifice himself for his brother no matter what Alternative Universe he's in haha.

Thank you for reading!


	18. Chapter 18 - Starting Over

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto Sensei :P

 **Chapter 18 – Starting Over**

When Sasuke finally caught up to her, he needed a minute to take it all in. He couldn't believe she was actually standing in front of him. He had almost given up all hope of ever seeing her again. Slowly, he took a step towards her, and finally found the voice to call out to her, "Sakura…"

His voice was barely a whisper but Sakura's head snapped up straight away when she heard it.  
Slowly she looked up and met his gaze, "Sasuke-kun…?"  
Sasuke closed the distance between them in two powerful strides. For a minute they both stood there unwilling to break the silence. The pair were content to just stand there and enjoy basking in the presence of each other that they had missed so much.  
After what seemed like forever, Sasuke found the courage to speak, "Sakura…What are you doing here?"  
He could have slapped himself right after the words came out of his mouth. 'What were you thinking idiot?! The first time you see her in months and that's what you say?!' He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, and how he wanted nothing more than to chase after her the night she left. But at the sight of her, his mind seemed to have stopped thinking straight.

* * *

Sakura was hesitant at first. A week ago she had received a letter from K.P.C offering her a fully paid three years to study there. She had no idea K.P.C offered scholarships as such. Of course she wanted to jump at the opportunity to study at the most prestigious college in the Fire Country, but she wasn't sure if she could ever face Sasuke again. Especially after running out on him like that. After much deliberation, and persuasion from her parents, she finally decided to take a risk and accept the offer. She hadn't told Ino or any of her old friends, she was afraid she would bail at the last minute. And that's how she found herself standing there, reading her class schedule when she heard his voice.

Sakura could feel her heart almost jump through her chest. She hadn't planned on bumping into him so early on into the semester. She was hoping to come up with a way of apologizing to him before seeing him again. Finally meeting his gaze, she felt a million butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know what to say, how to break the silence, when suddenly, he spoke first.  
"Sakura…what are you doing here?"  
She could feel her heart falter at those words, but a part of her knew that she deserved it. He must be confused as hell to see her here.  
"Sasuke-kun…I…I was offered a position here, and, I know I promised to stay out of your life but, I couldn't help it…I couldn't turn down the offer-"  
Before she could finish her sentence, Sasuke had her in his arms and frantically crashed his lips into hers. His kiss was bruising, desperate, she could feel him trembling with emotion.

They finally parted, panting for breath. Sakura's eyes widened in shock and she quickly pushed him back, "Sasuke-kun! What are you doing? What about…your engagement?"  
"Sakura, I broke the engagement off. I don't care about doing what's best for the family. Ever since you left, all I've wanted to do is to go after you. To find you!" Sasuke rushed to get the words out, he still felt like she could slip out of his grasp at any moment.  
Gently he caressed her cheek with a hand and willed himself to calm down, "I went after you that night Sakura, but you were gone. I never stopped loving you."  
Sakura felt tears prickle her eyes, all this time she thought Sasuke had moved on with his life, but he still loved her. Relief washed over her like a wave.  
Flinging her arms around his neck, she finally let tears of happiness escape, "I never stopped loving you too, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Sasuke couldn't focus in his classes at all that day, Sakura was finally back in his life by some miracle, all he could think about was seeing her again. Even though she had told him she was guaranteed at least three years at the university, he felt like all the time in the world still wouldn't be enough. They had lost so much time together and Sasuke wanted to make up for the months they spent apart.

When the bell for lunch dismissed everyone, Sakura found Sasuke already waiting outside her classroom for her. Sakura beamed when she saw him, it brought back a million happy memories of the days when Sasuke would walk her to class and stay by her side in the hallways during high school. They walked together to the courtyard and settled down on a secluded lunch table under a cherry blossom tree.

Sasuke couldn't keep his eyes off her, she looked just the way he remembered. Her eyes we're still bright and full of emotion. Her lips still warm and tender, pulled up slightly into a small smile. Reaching out, he gently tucked a strand of pink hair behind Sakura's ear. It was surprisingly shorter than he remembered. Her hair had almost grown back to its original length the night she left, he recalled.  
Sasuke chuckled to himself when he realized she must have cut it again during their time apart.  
"What are you laughing at?" the pinkette nudged him to get his attention.  
"I'm just amused that you decided to keep your hair short even after the unorthodox haircut you received on your first day of school."  
Sakura blushed at the memory, "Do you want me to keep it long? After all, Ino said you liked girls with long hair. I mean, I can always grow it-"  
Sasuke cut her off with a kiss, "You look perfect just the way you are."

"Oh my God! Forehead is that you?!" a low growl escaped Sasuke's throat when their peace was interrupted by a loudmouthed blonde, "What the hell are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming to K.P.C?"  
Before Sakura could answer, Ino's baby blue eyes widened, and she squealed "Oh my God are you two back together again?!"  
Sakura laughed as the blonde pushed Sasuke aside and wedged herself between the pair, "You've had enough time to catch up with her, I'm borrowing her." She said to Sasuke.  
Swiftly turning her back on the Uchiha to face her best friend, she started her interrogation, "You are catching me up on _everything_! And don't skip over the details!"  
"Sakura-chan! Is that you?!" Sakura had never been so pleased to hear Naruto's voice before. The hyperactive Uzumaki came sprinting over, dragging a breathless Hinata behind him by the hand. The couple settled down on the seat opposite Sakura. Before long they were joined by Temari, Shikamaru and TenTen. Sakura couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Everyone was together again, and it felt like nothing had changed.

* * *

As quickly as it began, her first day of college was over. Sakura left the giant double gates of K.P.C, opting to walk home instead of taking a taxi. Her apartment was only a few streets away and she wanted to spare the cab fare.  
The sun was setting and it cast beautiful colours into the sky. Sakura almost forgot how much she had missed this town.

The pinkette decided to quicken her pace as she walked, she always had good intuition and she had a feeling that the black car behind her had been slowly tailing her for the last two blocks.  
She turned around and glared at the approaching vehicle, "My boyfriend's a cop and he'll throw your ass into jail if you try anything!" she lied.  
The car stopped next to the sidewalk and the tinted passenger window rolled down, "You have a boyfriend I don't know about?"  
She recognized the voice straight away, "Oh my god Sasuke-kun! You scared me. I'm sorry, I just said that because I thought you were some pervert following me!"  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Come on, I'll give you a lift."  
Sakura laughed and kept walking "Thanks Sasuke-kun but I'm almost home anyway."  
She paused mid-step when she heard the car engine stop and watched as Sasuke climbed out the driver's seat.  
"What are you doing Sasuke-kun?"  
"Hn. I'm walking you home."

* * *

"Well, this is it," she said as she pushed open her front door.  
Sasuke took it all in, it was a small apartment, the living area and kitchen shared the same space and there was a small corridor leading to two doors, probably her bedroom and bathroom, Sasuke guessed.  
"Are you sure you don't want to come live at the Uchiha manor again?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, "We have plenty of space."  
The pinkette playfully punched him in the arm, "I like my apartment, it's cosy, just because you've grown accustomed to the lavish lifestyle doesn't mean I have." She giggled and made her way towards the kitchenette to make tea.

"Sakura, I'm sorry," Sasuke's sudden apology confused her and she stopped giggling.  
"Sorry? For what," she quirked her head to the side as a sign of confusion and filled a kettle of water to boil.  
Sasuke moved to follow her, he watched her tentatively as she went about grabbing tea bags out of the pantry, "For everything," he finally replied.  
"For leaving you alone in my bed that morning, and…for everything after that," he continued as she poured hot water into two mugs.  
She stopped what she was doing midway and turned around to face him, "You damn well should be," she smiled slightly at him.

Sasuke didn't have time to process her reply, the pinkette threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hungrily kissing him. She had missed this.  
In no time, Sasuke was deepening her kiss, lifting her up to sit on the kitchen counter as she hooked her legs around his waist. His hands slid under the hem of her top slowly, she impatiently whined and pulled away from him for a second, roughly tugging her shirt off and throwing it on the floor. Sasuke let out a low chuckle and took her lips in his own again. Their lips moved in unison for what seemed like hours, until the pair finally needed breath. Breaking apart, Sasuke leaned his forehead against Sakura's, looking into her eyes. And at that moment he knew, all was forgiven and they could finally start over again.

 **Author's Notes:**  
SasuSaku finally back together again!

Fun fact: The dialogue of Sasuke apologising to Sakura and Sakura's response is taken straight from the anime. It's from the episode where Sasuke and Naruto have almost beat each other half to death and Sakura heals them both.

Thank you for reading.


	19. Chapter 19 - Resolutions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto Sensei :P

 **Chapter 19 – Resolutions**

Sasuke yawned, stretching his arms out and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. When he finally opened his onyx orbs he looked around and sat up straight away. This wasn't his room. He looked down at the light pink bed sheets and noticed his clothes from last night thrown all over the cream coloured carpet and he realized. He was still in Sakura's apartment.

The events from last night played out in his mind as he blushed and quickly pulled on his pants. He frowned when he realized Sakura wasn't next to him anymore.  
'Is this how she felt when she woke up alone that day?' he tried to supress the thought, it wasn't a good feeling.  
"Morning," he looked up, to see Sakura leaning against the doorway with a cup of coffee. She was wearing his T shirt from last night, it looked way too big on her and came down to her thighs, but he thought she looked stunning nonetheless.  
'That's a sight I could get used to,' he smiled to himself.  
"You're finally awake," she laughed walking over to him. Putting her cup down on the nightstand she walked over to where Sasuke was sitting on the edge of the bed and threw her arms lazily around his neck. He pulled her in closer and leaned upwards to take her lips in his own as his hands slid up the back of her thighs. The moment was ruined by a buzzing sound on the bed side table.  
"Oh yeah," Sakura mused, "your phones been going off all morning, you should probably check who needs to contact you so urgently."  
Groaning, Sasuke pulled away from the girl and checked his phone. 12 missed calls from Uchiha Enterprises.  
'What the hell?' he thought. Walking out of Sakura's bedroom, he hit 'return call' and held his phone to his ear. The other end picked up almost straight away.  
"Sasuke," Sasuke's eyes widened, it was Mikoto, what was she doing at the company? She was usually never there.  
"Mom? What-" Sasuke didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.  
"Sasuke where on earth were you last night? We've been trying to reach you all morning." he could hear the panic in her voice. Sasuke was confused, his parents usually weren't ones to fuss about him not coming home, they usually gave him a lot of freedom.  
"Never mind," Mikoto continued hastily, "You need to come to the company now. Your father has called an emergency board meeting. I'll explain to you when you get here."

"Sakura, I need to go," Sasuke spoke as he walked back into her bedroom. He really didn't want to leave Sakura again, but it sounded urgent.  
"Oh, what's wrong?" Sakura sensed the discomfort in his voice, she was already changed into her own set of clothes, walking over she handed Sasuke's top back to him and kissed him on the cheek.  
"I'm not sure," he said warily as pulled the shirt over his head, "But my mom needs me to go to Uchiha Enterprises right now, I'll call you when I finish there."  
Pressing a quick kiss to her lips, he grabbed his car keys and drove off.

* * *

Sasuke pulled up at the familiar gates of his father's company and headed straight for the board room. He knew that if it was an emergency everyone would be in there already. All eyes settled on him as he walked in, it seemed like they were all waiting for him. At the head of the table, Fugaku was already seated, Mikoto on his left. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the spot on his right where Itachi usually sat was empty, had he not arrived yet?  
Sasuke took his usual seat next to his brother's empty one, he opened his mouth to ask what was going on but before he could get a word out, Fugaku spoke.  
"Sasuke why have you not answered your phone in the past twelve hours? For God's sake we thought you had run away too."  
"Run away?" Sasuke had no idea what was going on, "No, I was with…a friend. Why would I run away?"  
"Itachi's gone missing," Mikoto spoke quietly, Sasuke's head whipped over to the direction in which she spoke, he could see tears brimming his mother's eyes.  
Sasuke looked to his father for an explanation.

Fugaku sighed, "We haven't seen him since yesterday. When we got home from the office, he had left us a note. It was an official resignation as heir to Uchiha Enterprises. It also says that he is leaving Konoha to pursue his dream of travelling around the world and that he and Izumi have eloped. They are together right now, at…God knows where!" Fugaku's voice shook the whole room. "There is no way to trace him, he didn't take his car, he's no longer enrolled at K.P.C and his cell phone is disconnected."  
Sasuke could see the anger radiating off his father's body.  
"That leaves me with a million-dollar company and NO sons to pass it down to." He slammed a fist onto the table in rage.  
When he finally calmed down, Fugaku spoke again, "So it's decided. I'm reinstating you as heir. You will get one hundred percent of the company once I retire and Itachi will get nothing."

Sasuke just sat there in shock, he couldn't form an intelligible reply in his mind. When he finally found his voice again he spoke, "No."  
He could hear all the board members seated around them gasp in unison.  
"I don't want the company," Sasuke continued, he had just gotten Sakura back, there was no way in hell that he would let his father manipulate his life again, "If being heir to the company means you control my life then I don't want it."  
Whispers erupted around them, he could see board members murmuring to Fugaku, "Uchiha-sama, maybe we should choose another heir, my son has knowledge in trade and a degree in finance, he would make an excellent fit."  
"Uchiha-sama, my nephew is an entrepreneur and has his own law firm, I'm sure he makes an excellent candidate to run your company," another piped up.  
Fugaku rose in anger and slammed his palms against the table, "Enough! You will be my heir, there is no way I am giving my company away to just anybody!" he bellowed. Silence filled the room, the businessmen who had previously spoken cowered in fear.  
"I don't care who you date, who you marry," Fugaku sighed in defeat as he slumped back into his chair, "as long as I know my company is in good hands, Sasuke, please."  
Sasuke could hear the desperation in his father's voice, he knew Fugaku was a man who would honour his word. Looking around, he met the stern glares of all the board members, and finally locked eyes with his father, "Okay, I'll do it dad."

* * *

Leaving Uchiha Enterprises that morning, Sasuke still couldn't comprehend why his brother did what he did. He was top of the class at K.P.C, the next in line to inherit all of Uchiha Enterprises since Sasuke had stepped down and not to mention his father's clear favourite out of the two Uchiha brothers. It would seem that he had everything, why would he throw it all away?

It was the next day at college when everything finally made sense to Sasuke. There he sat, at their new designated lunch table under the cherry blossom tree, his friends surrounding him. Naruto and Kiba were in the middle of another heated argument, Shikamaru sat leaning against the table with his head up watching the clouds, Ino sat on her boyfriend's lap as he sketched in a little art pad. And Sakura. Sakura was finally in his arms. Everything was back to normal again and it couldn't have been more perfect, Sasuke mused. He was surrounded by his friends, he was finally making his father proud by working hard to inherit the family company, and he finally had the girl he loved back in his life.

And then, it finally clicked. Sasuke's eyes widened in realization. Itachi had given everything up, so Sasuke could be happy. He gave up his claim to the company so their father would reinstate Sasuke. He broke his engagement off with Hana and run away with his old girlfriend so Fugaku would see the consequences and never force Sasuke into another loveless engagement again. And he gave his spot at Konoha Private College to Sakura so that they could be together.

As if sensing Sasuke's discomfort Sakura leaned in closer to him and asked, "Sasuke-kun, is something wrong?"  
Sasuke offered her a smile.  
Slowly he raised his hand and gently tapped her on the forehead the way Itachi had always done to him, "No, everything's perfect."  
'Thank you nii-san.' 

**Author's Note:**

Finally incorporated the famous forehead poke into my story :P

Also for all the ItaIzu fans out there, Itachi ended up with Izumi in the end!

Thank you for reading!


	20. Chapter 20 - Celebrations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto Sensei :P

 **Chapter 20 - Celebrations**

 _Three years later._

Sakura stood in front of the mirror beaming as she fastened her graduation robes. After applying a final coat of lip gloss she popped her graduation cap on her head and headed out. Who could have predicted that she would be graduating from the most prestigious college in all of Fire Country? If anyone had told her four years ago, that she would not only attend Konoha Academy, but also go on to graduate at K.P.C she would have laughed and said they were crazy. But here she was, getting ready for her graduation ceremony.

The ceremony was an outdoors one, taking place in the University's own gardens. Hundreds of white chairs were laid out on the grassy court facing a stage where students would walk across one by one and receive their degrees.  
Sakura walked over to her designated seat and picked up the information pamphlet sitting on the chair. She flipped to the section introducing the Graduates of this year and skimmed through her list of friends.

 _This year's graduates of Konoha Private College:_

 _Aburame Shino – Bachelor of Zoology majoring in Entomology_  
 _Akimichi Choji – Bachelor of Culinary Arts_  
 _Haruno Sakura – Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery_  
 _Hyuuga Hinata – Bachelor of Finance and Business Relations_  
 _Hyuuga Neji – Bachelor of Corporate Management and Business Relations_  
 _Inuzkua Kiba- Bachelor of Veterinary Science majoring in Canine Health_  
 _Nara Shikamaru – Bachelor of Mathematics_  
 _Rock Lee – Bachelor of Sports Science majoring in Martial Arts_  
 _Sabaku Temari – Bachelor of Civil Engineering_  
 _Sai – Bachelor of Visual Art_  
 _TenTen – Bachelor of Weapons Engineering_  
 _Uchiha Sasuke – Bachelor of Corporate Law and Business Relations_  
 _Uzumaki Naruto – Bachelor of Human Resources and Business Relations_  
 _Uzumaki Karin – Bachelor of Laboratory Sciences_  
 _Yamanaka Ino – Bachelor of Psychology_

* * *

Sitting there in her seat Sakura mused at everything that's happened in the past three years and how everyone had grown. Her best friend Ino was graduating with a degree in Psychology today, she laughed at how perfect it was. Ino was always the first person she went to if she had a problem, and the blonde seemed to always know what was really on her mind, she would make a perfect psychologist, Sakura giggled to herself.  
Naruto and Hinata were both getting their Bachelor of Business Relations today. Over the past three years the relationship between the two had never dwindled, in fact, Naruto had proposed to the shy Hyuuga girl two months ago. Sakura just couldn't stop smiling at the thought of the pair growing up together, taking over their parents' companies and getting married. She had no doubt that they would have a happy life together.

"Sakura," she was snapped out of her day dream when she heard Sasuke's smooth voice. She smiled as he walked towards her. Three years on, and he still made her heart flutter when she saw him. He was graduating with a degree in Corporate Law, Sakura thought proudly. She knew it had always been a dream of his to make his father proud and take over the family law firm. And she was so happy that he could finally achieve his goal.

Secretly she knew she had to thank Itachi for it all. Sasuke had explained everything to her during the past three years. They hadn't had any contact with the older Uchiha since he disappeared. From what they gathered, he had run away with Izumi and joined a gang and was now travelling around the world. Mentally, Sakura made it a goal for her to help Sasuke track down his older brother one day so she could properly thank him for the sacrifices he made.

* * *

Sasuke arrived at the ceremony, his graduation hat perched on the top of his head. He scanned the area and finally spotted his pink haired girlfriend sitting in the fourth row with a dreamy expression on her face. He chuckled at how adorable she looked. It was a bittersweet day for him. He knew he should be in high spirits like everyone else, but in the back of his mind, he was worried about where the future would lead the two of them. He knew Sakura would have to leave again, after all, her home was back in the outskirts of Fire Country. And he already made a mental note to visit her as frequently as he could until he could find a way to bring her back permanently.

He had already suggested that she stay with him at the Uchiha manor. He was more than happy to provide for her, after all, he would be inheriting a multimillion-dollar company after Fugaku's official retirement in twelve months' time. But she had hit him on the side of the head and scolded him for his way of thinking, "I'm not going to sit around like some trophy wife!" she had yelled, "I want to go out and work in a hospital and help people!".

"Sakura," he called out to her as he walked over towards where she sat.  
"Sasuke-kun!" the pinkette ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck.  
"I can't believe we're graduating today," she beamed.  
"Hn," Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, he wanted to cherish these rare moments with her before she left him again. He wanted to tell her not to go, that she could stay with him and he would take care of her. He wanted to promise her that he would make her happy. But instead, he kept his mouth shut, he knew she had worked hard to get where she was in life, and that she also had goals to fulfil.  
Their moment was broken when principal Hiruzen walked on stage and asked everyone to take a seat.

* * *

"…and I present to you, this year's graduating cohort!" soon enough, the ceremony was over. Hiruzen congratulated the graduating students, cheering and clapping could be heard all throughout the garden before everyone was ushered over to the side for a group photo. Sakura held Sasuke's hand tightly in hers and she dragged him along to stand next to their friends for the photo. On the count of three the cohort pulled their hats off and threw it in the air as the camera went off. Emotions were high, some students were crying tears of happiness, others were jumping up and down in joy.  
"I can't wait to get out of this hell hole!" Ino had exclaimed.  
"I'm going to miss Konoha College," Hinata quietly sniffled as Naruto pulled her in for a hug.

Sakura smiled brightly and looked around to take it all in, she wanted to engrave this moment in her memory forever. Suddenly she felt Sasuke's grip on her hand tighten. When she looked over at him, she saw brief sadness flash across his face.  
"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" she tilted her head to the side in confusion, "Aren't you happy to be finally graduating?" she let out a slight giggle.  
Sasuke's onyx eyes met her emerald ones, "You're leaving me again," he stated matter-of-factly, "and you seem okay with it. Sakura, you even look happy about it." He looked down at the ground, defeated.  
Sakura finally realized why he had seemed so tense the whole time, her bright eyes lit up with mischief.  
She pushed Sasuke's chin upwards slightly so that she could look him in the eyes, "I'm not going anywhere Sasuke-kun."  
"What?" His head snapped up and he grabbed the pinkette by the shoulders roughly.  
She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her, "I wanted to surprise you at Ino's after party, but I guess I can't keep it a secret anymore."

Sasuke stood there, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly in surprise.  
"I've been offered a job at a local hospital, of course I'll be training first but eventually, they plan to make me one of their permanent medics!" Sakura couldn't contain the excitement in her voice. "Once I save enough money, I'll buy a larger apartment and-"  
Sasuke didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence, he pressed his lips against hers and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. At that moment he couldn't have been happier.  
The pair finally broke their embrace and onyx met emerald as they looked into each other's eyes, there were no words that needed to be exchanged in that moment of time, because they both knew, they loved each other, and as long as they had each other, their life was complete.

 **-End-**

 **Author's Note:**  
And that's the end of the story guys (well almost, there's still the epilogue)! Thank you to everyone who stuck it out until the end!

I think most of the degrees I gave to the characters are quite fitting, like Shino studying Entomology which is the study of insects hahah. And Karin doing Laboratory Sciences since she's always helping Orochimaru out with his experiments :P I tried to do a little research on various Bachelors Degrees offered around the world but I had to make some of them up in the end. Hopefully they sound reasonable.

Fun Fact: Itachi joining a gang is a reference to him joining Akatsuki :P hahah it doesn't mean he's turned into a criminal or anything, I thought of it more as him just wanting to be around people that won't judge him for his past decisions

There's still an epilogue coming up for anyone who's interested. It will be a time jump roughly 8 years into the future showing all our favourite characters all grown up :) So please stick around if you're interested to see what everyone's up to! I'm editing that now and should be up in a week or so :)

Anyways I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who's still following this story! This is the first time I've ever tried my hand in writing a fanfic. Please feel free to let me know what you thought of the story :)

Thank you all for reading!


	21. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, everything belongs to Kishimoto Sensei :P

 **Epilogue**

Sasuke let out a sigh and shut down his desktop, he'd been working for far too long and his eyes were beginning to blur from staring at a screen all day. Swivelling around in his office chair, he took in the view of Konoha from his office. Located in the centre of Konoha's central business district, you could see everything from the top floor of Uchiha Enterprises.

Ever since Sasuke had taken over his father's company 8 years ago, Uchiha Enterprises had been thriving. Profits had never been higher and shares had grown in value tremendously. To say Fugaku was proud would be an understatement.

Sasuke smiled as he watched the streets beneath him, from his spot he could faintly make out Naruto's bright orange Mercedez pulling up at the parking lot of Uzumaki Corporations next door. He could barely see clearly from that high up, but he was sure he saw the blonde dashing from his driver's seat to open the passenger side door for his pregnant Hyuuga wife. The pair were now expecting their second child and ever since the pair got married the Uzumaki and Hyuuga companies had flourished. It didn't come to a surprise for Sasuke, he knew the union of two powerful companies like that would result in competition for Uchiha Enterprises, but he was prepared to work hard to compete. The competitive energy between the three large companies still existed, but it was nothing like the intense rivalry their parents' generation had felt. After all, they were all friends now, and their friendly competition now pushed each other to thrive, rather than tear each other down.

Looking over at Konoha's central park Sasuke could make out Kiba and his new partner Tamaki taking Akamaru for a walk. The white dog had grown even larger than he was before. Kiba was now the town's most sought after vet after taking over his parents' veterinary clinic with his older sister Hana.

Further down the street Sasuke could make out Choji's five-star restaurant. His gluttony had finally paid off and he was now running Konoha's most popular dining attraction, it often took weeks for a reservation to open up. A sleek black limousine pulling up at the restaurant's front gates caught Sasuke's attention. He watched as two well dressed, dark haired men stepped out of the vehicle followed by two blonde women carrying two children. The Uchiha took a quick glance at his calendar, September 23rd, and connected the dots straight away. The group down below had to be Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, Temari and their little boys. It was a tradition of theirs to get together every year at Choji's restaurant to celebrate Shikamaru, Ino and Shikadai's birthdays.

* * *

Sasuke's train of thought was interrupted when he heard his office door open.  
"Papa!" he spun around to see his little girl running towards him. Standing up, he scooped her up into a hug. He felt so much love and pride just looking at her, and couldn't wait for her to take over his office one day.  
"Ah, Sarada" he smiled at her, gently tapping his fingers against her tiny forehead.  
The little girl beamed up at her dad.

* * *

Sakura strode into the front doors of Uchiha Enterprises, heels clicking as she walked towards the front desk.  
"Uchiha-sama" the receptionist bowed her head slightly in respect. Sakura let out an embarrassed laugh, after all these years she was still getting used to being Uchiha Sakura rather than Haruno Sakura.  
"Please, just Sakura is fine," she smiled at the girl, "Have you seen where Sarada has run off to?"  
"Sarada-san headed straight to her father's office," the receptionist replied.  
"Of course she has," Sakura laughed.

Stepping out of the lifts Sakura headed straight for her husband's office. His door was already wide open and the sight she was met with made her heart melt. Sasuke sat there behind his desk scribbling away in a notebook, while their daughter, sat on his lap watching her father work in adoration. They were so alike, the pinkette thought, they had the same eyes, the same silky onyx hair and she definitely had the same drive as her father. Sakura had no doubt that their daughter would grow up to be a mighty Uchiha one day. She was definitely daddy's little girl. Her husband adored their daughter and never failed to show her affection.

* * *

"There you are, Sarada," Sakura laughed as she entered the office, "didn't mama tell you not to run off alone?"  
"Sorry mama," the little girl giggled, hopping off Sasuke's lap she ran towards her mother, "I was just too excited to see papa."  
Sasuke smiled at the sight before him, seeing the two people he loved most standing there in front of him filled him with joy. He could feel his heart beat speed up as Sakura made eye contact with him. After years of marriage the sight of her still took his breath away.  
He slowly stood up and embraced his family, kissing Sakura on the forehead.  
"Sorry I'm late darling, I had to pop into work to check up on a few patients," she leaned into his embrace. Sakura had made her rounds in the hospital too, she was now the head medic and top surgeon, "I asked Karin to take over for me today so I could leave early."

It seemed that time healed all wounds. Karin was now working in the same hospital as Sakura, experimenting on different medicines to find cures for new diseases. To Sasuke's surprise, the pair got along extremely well. The day Sarada was born, Sakura had specifically requested for Karin to be one of the medics that helped with her delivery.

"Well, let's get going" Sakura said to the little Uchiha, "we have dinner at grandma and grandpa's house tonight."  
And before they could stop her, the little girl had run off excitedly.  
Chuckling slightly Sasuke put his arm around his wife's waist and led them both towards the lifts where Sarada had run off to.

* * *

Sakura stepped out of their black Rolls Royce as it pulled up to the familiar Uchiha manor and took in the view of Sasuke's childhood home. It looked exactly the same as it did on the first day she stepped foot into Konoha. The fountain still trickled in the sunlight, reflecting beautiful colours off the surface of the water. The white cobble stones and grey tiled roof still looked as elegant as ever. And the sheer size of the place still amazed her.

She would never forget the nervousness she felt as a school girl on that very first day she arrived at the manor, stepping out of the town car sent by the Uchiha's to pick her up. But now, she had come to think of this place as a home. Instead of the nervousness and loneliness she felt during her first days here, she now felt a warmth and love that radiated through the halls.

"Sarada! Sakura, Sasuke!" the front door of the manor flew open and Mikoto stood in the doorway waving enthusiastically.  
Sasuke and Sakura each took their daughters hand in their own and lead her up the steps and into the Uchiha manor. Fugaku and Mikoto excitedly pushed passed the pair and scooped up the little girl, showering her with kisses. Sakura laughed at how they spoilt her. Sarada was never short of receiving affection. Her grandparents, both from Sasuke's side and Sakura's, adored her to no end. And she adored them just as much. But her absolute favourite was her uncle.

"Ah, Sarada," the little Uchiha girl's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice. She wiggled out of her grandmother's grasp and ran towards her uncle.  
"Uncle Itachi!" she squealed in delight.  
Itachi laughed as he crouched down and enveloped her into a bear hug, setting her down again, he smiled and poked her gently on the forehead.  
A couple of years ago, Sasuke had finally managed to track Itachi down. After thanking him for everything he'd done he finally convinced Itachi to come home and the Uchiha family was finally whole again.

Sasuke would be forever thankful to his brother. Not only was it Itachi's sacrifices that made it possible for Sasuke's family of three to be here today, but he also saw the changes it made to his father. The cold exterior that Fugaku had always kept up was beginning to melt and he began to see things in a new light.

Countless board members had already come to Sasuke with the proposition of setting up an arranged marriage between his daughter and Naruto's son to strengthen ties between their companies. But before Sasuke could even shut down these suggestions, Fugaku had spoken up.  
"Not a chance in hell," the Uchiha patriarch had rebuked, "there's no way I'm putting my little granddaughter through the pain her father and uncle went through."  
Sasuke had never been prouder of his father. His way of thinking had changed, and in turn the Uchiha family had been happier than ever before.

* * *

The night had finally settled down and it was getting late. Sarada was exhausted and had fallen asleep on the car ride home. Arriving back at their own house, Sasuke parked on the driveway and gently picked his daughter up in his arms. Making his way up the stairs to her room, he gently placed her down on the comfort of her own bed. Sakura silently walked over and pulled a blanket over her tiny form.

Pulling Sakura into an embrace, the pair watched the soft rise and fall of their daughter's chest as she slept peacefully.  
"Sakura, thank you," Sasuke whispered to her.  
"Hm?" Sakura looked up at him, confused by his sudden comment.  
"Every day, I think to myself, how lucky I am to have you, to have this family that you gave me," he spoke quietly, "thank you, for getting that scholarship so I could meet you, thank you, for being in my life, thank you for everything."  
Overwhelmed with emotions, Sakura stared into his onyx eyes, Sasuke was never really one to speak how he felt, and this meant a lot to her.  
Time seemed to have stopped as the pair stood there, staring into each other's eyes, finally their lips met in an affectionate, loving kiss. No words needed to be said, a thousand "thank you's", "you're welcome's" and "I love you's" were exchanged in that kiss, and everything was perfect in that moment.

 **-The End-**

 **Author's Note:**

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who read my story, whether you just skimmed through a couple of chapters, or if you stayed from beginning till the end I'm so thankful to everyone who contributed :) And for those of you who left reviews, thank you so much, the reviews were a big part of what kept me going and updating chapters. This is the first story I've ever written and I know its not the best, but your reviews were always positive and kind and gave me the confidence to keep uploading.

That aside, please let me know what you thought of the story. This is finally the end, SasuSaku get their happily ever after :) I can't believe they were little high school students who hardly got along in Chapter 1, and now they're married with a beautiful family. What a journey it's been for them to get to this stage.  
So please, let me know, what would you have liked to read more of, where could I improve for future stories? What did you enjoy or not enjoy? All constructive criticism is welcome :)

I know not a lot happened in the epilogue but I wanted to keep it simple and just show a glimpse of what everyone is up to, and how happy the Uchiha household finally is. Sorry I took so long to upload the epilogue, I just wasn't happy with the way it turned out and kept changing it :P

Anyways, after 20 Chapters, and an Epilogue, I finally get to change the status of this story to [Complete]. So I would like to finish my final Author's Note by once again thanking you all for reading! :)

Love, ThePinkUchiha.


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